The Maelstrom of Konoha Book 1
by Cantor
Summary: Naruto was a regular genin training hard with the help of two beautiful sensei. While everything seems fine though, danger lurks ahead, and the Kyuubi is in the middle of it all. 'Naruto my way', but diverges later. Epic. --Anko/Naru/Kure--
1. Anxiety

Disclaimer– "Writing is a socially acceptable form of schizophrenia." - E.L. Doctorow

The Maelstrom of Konoha**-1.01**

**The tale of a young boy's ascent into the legends**

_Please enjoy the story. I've put some thought into the plot, and it will have twists and turns, along with some planted clues to let the readers guess where the story might go. This is a strong Naruto fic, although it____**isn't**__like, "first chapter and Naruto can destroy the Hokage". It's more gradual. Please give it a chance even if Strong Naruto isn't your thing._

_I've had reviewers saying it is bland and unoriginal early on. I agree, and eventually I'll be revising this, but I really encourage you to plow on for now...A lot of people like how it ends up changing in later chapters. -Cantor_

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The Fire Country's hidden village of Konoha was well known throughout the shinobi for various reasons. It was known for its many remarkable ninja's that it produced throughout the years, among them the revered Hokages, sworn to protect the village with their own lives if need be, the infamous Orochimaru and his two equally famous teammates, Jiraiya and Tsunade, the feared White Fang, and his son, Copy-nin Kakashi. The village was also known for its well tested and productive training regimes, as well as the easy life that many villagers and shinobi enjoyed at the village. What was not well known however, was the pure amount of barely restrained malice the villagers were able to harbor for a certain thirteen year old boy.

It had been bad earlier, when the boy was younger, and the villagers' hatred was still fresh. The hatred usually manifested itself as only a harsh prejudice or avoidance, leaving the boy confused and lonely. However, on several occasions in his childhood, the young boy suffered attacks from the very people he hoped to protect as a Konoha ninja.

One such attack occurred when the boy, Uzumaki Naruto, was only 3 years old. It was one of the earliest attacks Naruto could remember, and he wasn't sure there had been other attempts on his life even before then. He had been returning home after talking to the Old Man, who is better known as the Sandaime Hokage. The discussion between the Old Man was about the possibility of Naruto leaving the orphanage, where the young boy had currently been living, in another year.

Synonymous with hunger, freezing cold nights with moth eaten blankets, and a verbally (and sometimes physically, though Naruto never spoke up) abusive caretaker, Naruto was ecstatic to hear of the possibility to leave the orphanage and live on his own. The Old Man himself would have trusted people make sure he bought the right food and clothes.

The attack had happened quickly. He had just got into sight of the orphanage and was quickening his pace to reach the door before he was late for supper. The caretaker didn't like when he was late, and would sometimes keep him from eating dinner that night to 'teach him the importance of being on time'. Suddenly a heavy hand gripped his shoulder, holding him back like reigns. Naruto looked behind him to see a group of three men smirking at him. Each wore the headband of Konoha, and they each had various weapons in their hands. Naruto tried to wrench his shoulder out of the one man's grip, but was held in place, the grip becoming alarmingly painful on his shoulder.

No words were spoken.

One man swung him back and held him back as the other two men took turns beating the boy. Naruto had never been hit before, and a full grown man's fist, much less a ninja's, was a pain he had never felt before. Then one man took out a kunai…reaching forward and slashing his face and through his lip. Blood gushed out and poured into his mouth, choking him and cutting him off mid scream. Throughout it all, dark thoughts screamed at Naruto to kill them – make them feel pain that was a thousand times worse for doing this to him. Off to the side, Naruto was dimly aware of the Matron of the orphanage standing outside the front door, with an odd expression on her face, something Naruto would later recognize as vindictive.

It had seemed like he had been in pain for hours by the time he finally felt the blows stopped, though he knew in reality it was only minutes, if not moments. He looked realized the next slash of the knife hadn't come, and looked up to see the man who had saved him from his personal hell before falling unconscious. His savior had appeared in the form of a large bear sized man, with a dark trench coat and bandanna over his head. He held the assailants hand in his fist, and wordlessly clenched his fist tight. An audible crunch sounded and the attacker fell to his knees and screamed from the bones in his hand being slowly crushed. Around the entire group was a squad of ninjas wearing masks, each painted to look like a certain animal or monster.

The man in the bandanna scooped Naruto up into his arms, ignoring the blood that seeped through his sleeves onto his arms, and quickly carried him off to the hospital, while sending an ANBU to inform the Hokage.

That day had been the start of Naruto's independence – a full year earlier than had originally been planned. The Old Man, sat down with Naruto in his office, and explaining the situation, gave Naruto the key's to a small apartment that the Hokage had rented out. The bills were all going to be covered, and a monthly allowance ensured that Naruto wouldn't go hungry. Anbu would be regularly stationed nearby the apartment to ensure Naruto's continued safety.

"Since it seems the head of the orphanage doesn't share my care for your well-being Naruto, I've decided that it would be better for you if you were moved out of the orphanage." The Sandaime reached into a drawer in his desk and pulled out a ring with three keys on it. "This first larger key is for the front door on your new apartment."

"My new apartment...?" murmured Naruto, slightly shocked at the speed this was all happening. "I thought I was going to get it next year?" he asked.

"Hmm. Well, as I said, the orphanage didn't seem to offer you the proper protection that it should. So this apartment I'm giving you is just down the street from here, where I can see from this window," The Sandaime motioned towards the window to the side of his office, "and I'll be able to see if any problems arise. I've also decided to take part of your monthly allowance," He had to hold his hands up to silence Naruto's coming protest, "and use it to have D-rank missions which will assign a team of genin to help you if need be."

The young boy nodded dumbly, still shocked at the speed of things. He still wasn't sure about this – he already knew that some ninja didn't really want to help him...

Sensing his concern, the Hokage gave Naruto a warm, grandfatherly smile and patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry Naruto, everything will be fine. If you want, I'll let you choose the genin team you want to help you."

Naruto's shock, combined with the kindness that the Old man was showing, made it difficult for Naruto to keep his voice straight. He barely managed to choke out a quiet, "Thanks, Ojii-chan."

The man gave another kindly smile, and pulled Naruto up. "I need you to follow me for a bit Naruto, to show you what these other two keys go to, and then to show you to your new apartment."

Naruto nodded, his head downward to hide the happy tears that threatened to come up, and set off with the Hokage, walking down stairs and several corridors until they reached a room on the first floor, in a room in the back. Along the wall were several small cabinets, about the size of a full grown man's hand, all with their own little keyhole.

The old man motioned towards them with his hand. "These are used as small deposit boxes for various people. When packages for shinobi arrive, if they are out on a mission, it is kept here for them until they can pick it up. Sometimes shinobi ask to keep something important to them in these as well. I will be using it to put your monthly allowance in. You'll be picking it up on the first Tuesday of each month, okay?"

Naruto, finally finding his once loud voice, whispered a quiet, "Okay, Ojii-chan. But which one is mine?"

The Hokage pointed to one of the cabinets on the far right. You're going to have the cabinet number 109. Make sure you remember that well. Now, you know what two keys do, so why don't we go see your new apartment? I think you'll find what the third key does over there."

A three year old Naruto finally gave a bright smile, and nodded happily. He followed the old man quickly down the Main street, which ran from the southern gate directly to the Hokage Tower.

Perpendicular to Main street is Central, which formed a cross between the two streets in the middle of the village, allowing it to be divided in four 'quadrants'. All along these two streets the ever present clang of metal being forged rang through the air, and different shops, shouted out their wares to ninja and shinobi alike. The smell of food wafted through the air, mixing with the salty smell of sweat from the ninja's training, creating a scent-laden environment that was neither pungent nor heady, but simply home.

The northeastern quadrant was where the people with funny eyes lived. Naruto didn't know this, but this area was dominated by the Uchiha and the Hyuuga clans. The northwestern part of the village was dominated more by the Aburame, the Nara, and the Akimichi clans. The southern half on both sides was where most of the business was done, and were most of the villagers lived, as well as a few smaller ninja families. It was an apartment complex on the corner of Main and Central that the Hokage lead Naruto to, across from the northeastern quadrant of the village.

"This is it," said the Hokage, opening a door for the young boy and gently pushing him in. Naruto's eyes quickly took in everything about the place – they had walked into what seemed to be the living room/dining room combination, where Naruto would be eating and relaxing. There was a couch immediately to his right, facing a small television, and an ottoman in front of it for him to put his feet up if he wanted. Connected to this room, but separate by a small counter was the kitchen area, just large enough for him to cook if he needed. If he turned left just before reaching the kitchen, he would get into a small hallway which had three doors in it. Two of them were bedroom sized, and the third was a bathroom at the end of the hall.

All together it was a simple apartment, but it was more than Naruto had ever owned in his life. His eyes glistened with newly shed tears as he took it all in. He nearly failed to notice a small chest which was resting on top of the bed in the – _his_ bedroom.

"Open it." The Hokage pushed him gently towards the chest, handing him the ring of keys.

Naruto took one look back at the Hokage, before turning back around to the chest. Taking a deep breath, he took the third key on the ring – the one he had yet to discover the use for, and put it in the small matching keyhole. When he flung open the chest, he looked down to see books and scrolls – lots of them. And next to them kunai, shuriken, and a small beneath it all, a small neatly folded outfit.

"I haven't forgotten how you told me once that you planned on taking my job," Joked the Hokage. "So I bought you some ninja supplies and some things to help you learn a little about being a shinobi, so you'll be able to fulfill that dream."

Naruto ran back to the old man and help him in a tight hug, burying his face in the old man's robes. The Old Man was probably the nicest person Naruto knew – he took care of him like he would his own son, and helped him whenever he could. Naruto swore that day, to pay back the Hokage for his kindness – to make sure he met the old man's expectations and made him proud, and to protect him the best he could.

That was 10 years ago. Naruto was thirteen now, a year older than his peers, and was just waking up inside the same apartment that had been given to him so long ago. The sun was shining through the window, warming the room, sending its wakeup call to the boy in the room. Naruto blinked, squinting against the sudden brightness, and sat up, yawning. He stretched his arms to get the feeling back in them. He had a bad habit of sleeping on top of them and cutting off the circulation – making for an odd feeling of numbness when he woke up.

He climbed out of bed and looked at the time – 7:15—just enough time. He got his working clothes out; a newer and of course, larger pair of dark ninja clothes, in the exact same style as the pair the Hokage had given him so long ago. Naruto wouldn't have minded adding a splash more color though, for some flare – like orange or red if he could do it. But that was for another time when he had time to buy some clothes. Today was the day of the genin exams, and Naruto needed to be ready.

He carried his clothes into the bathroom and got into the shower, cleaning himself off. He got out, and checked himself over in the mirror. No injuries...no dirt...squeaky clean. Good. He wanted to make sure he looked his best today. He quickly got dressed and made sure he had all the kunai and shuriken he could possibly need for the test, but found that his shuriken were missing. Naruto groaned and threw his head back in frustration, realizing he'd forgotten them at training grounds last night. By now they were probably already gone. He'd have to hurry and buy some new ones before he got to the academy. He knew he'd need some for the test, since he'd taken it once before.

He ignored the dark muttering thoughts in his head when he thought of his failures. It was annoying how any negativity got him to think so darkly, sometimes with thoughts he was sure he'd never think if he was rational. Shaking himself out of his funk, he put a smile on his face – he found that even if he forced a smile, it helped his mood a bit. Something of a trick he'd learned over the years of...well, enough of that.

He grabbed some fruit that the Old Man had left in his kitchen and started down one of Central's side streets towards a shop he knew that sold ninja supplies. He normally didn't have to buy the supplies himself, instead using a genin team to get his stuff so that he wasn't kicked out of the store, but right now he didn't have time for that.

The store he walked into finally was owned by an older man, younger than THE Old man, but this guy was still old. Naruto navigated his way around the cluttered shop, looking into various bins with simple kunai and shuriken, some higher grade than others. Around the edges of the shop were glass counters, with the better weapons the shop had to offer on display beneath the glass. Up on the wall behind the counters were even more weapons and supplies, ranging from weights to swords, to bit of armor. Naruto stopped by a bin with shuriken in his price range. they were neatly packaged in a bag of coarse material, and tied neatly together with a small thin metal chain. Naruto took two of the bags, numbering 20, and walked over to the counter where the old man sat with a book in his hand.

He cleared his throat to get the man's attention, who, without looking at his customer, took the bag and checked the price. "That will be 50-" the man cut off as he looked past the book and saw Naruto. "200 ryu."

What?" exclaimed Naruto. "But the price is clearly a quarter of that!"

"I can demand whatever price I want brat, it's my store. Who are you to threaten me and try to make me lower my price?" the older man snarled as he leaned forward over the counter.

Immediately Naruto went on the defensive, holding his hands up in front of him. "I wasn't threatening, sir, but I was sure to check the price beforehand and I saw that it was only-"

"You saw!" the man shouted. "Well clearly you saw wrong you little monster. And to think that you would even question me. Get out of my store, now!" He shouted, raising his book up above his head and stepping past the counter towards Naruto.

Naruto started to back up, quickly spewing apologies, before he bumped into someone behind him. Smelling a perfume, which Naruto found wasn't harsh on the nose...in fact he wouldn't mind smelling it more often, Naruto turned to find a gorgeous woman with bright red eyes and raven dark hair. She looked to be around 18, give or take a year. She wore a Jounin vest over a dress that looked like it wrapped around her voluptuous figure, which Naruto found that, similar to her perfume, wasn't harsh on the eyes.

Naruto's eyes drifted from her legs up to her eyes, taking her in, before he realized she was looking at him, and their eyes met. For a brief moment, Naruto didn't know what to make of the woman. He would have run if he hadn't been stunned by her looks, and instead he stood there, mouth somewhat agape, his hands still held up defensively towards the old man and his book, and for a glorious moment, time stood still. Then their eye contact broke, and time flowed forward again, air that had seemed to stop with time flowed again into Naruto's lungs as he inhaled sharply, and the woman reached out past Naruto and grabbed the old man's wrist, effectively stopped the book that was about to hit Naruto.

"What are you doing?" The woman asked, her light melodic voice carrying a surprising amount of anger.

"I'm teaching this brat a lesson." snarled the man. "I'd suggest you mind your own business. I have every right to refuse a demon like this service."

Naruto remained silent during the exchange, flinching quietly at one of the commonly muttered nicknames he possessed amongst the villagers. He had a feeling he didn't want to make this lady any angrier.

"Are you aware of the law your breaking?" The woman asked, her eyes flashing dangerously. "This academy student is a citizen and future shinobi of Konoha. I walked into this store to see you over charge him, as well as on the verge of attacking him, and you have no valid reason to do either. As far as I can see, he committed NO crime."

"COMMITED NO CRIME?" screamed the man, spittle flying out of his mouth, which Naruto had to wipe off himself. "ARE YOU MAD? THIS -"

The woman stepped past Naruto too quickly for him to see, slamming her fist into the man's chest, her knuckle digging up between the ribs, knocking the air out of the older man. He doubled over, his mouth flinging open in shock and pain. Spittle flew past his lips and his knees buckled as he sack to the floor. The woman stood over him, her fist still where she had first hit the man, glaring down dangerously. Her gaze carried a multitude of barely concealed promises of future punishment.

"If I ever see you acting this way towards any other citizen of Konoha, I will make sure that you will be visiting Konoha's center of inquiry. The man quickly translated it as you'll be spending time in prison and having fun with the interrogators the next time. He nodded his head, still too hurt to speak, and laid there on the floor, desperately trying to inhale air into his lungs.

The woman looked at Naruto, whom had taken an uncertain step away from the angered woman. She flashed him a brief smile, her red lips drawing the attention of his eyes – and hormone filled brain much too quickly for his own liking. He purged the picture with an exaggerated image of Sakura, his crush.

"Take the shuriken and anything else you need right now. I'll make sure the cost is covered properly. If I'm not mistaken – you're in this years genin class, are you not?" She asked him.

"Y-Yes." Stuttered Naruto, both out of shyness and fear of the woman. He hurriedly stuffed the shuriken into his pouch and got ready to leave when her question stalled him.

"You are Uzumaki Naruto, are you not?"

"Yeah." He turned back around to see her smiling again.

"Yuuhi Kurenai." She said simply. "Good luck in your exams Naruto. The Hokage speaks highly of you. I hope his faith isn't...misplaced."

Naruto nodded, and gave his thanks. He knew he wouldn't let the Hokage down today. He'd be a genin tomorrow and ready to start on his journey to become Hokage.

He walked through the dusty street as the village really began to wake up. The streets went from quiet, with stores just opening and empty, to swamped with people. People of all different shapes and sizes were walking up and down the streets, Ninja visiting common haunts with their team for a mission or just to train, children played ninja, and civilians in clothes of every color walked around the streets to run errands for the day. Everything became more active. Naruto both loved the activity and hated it. It was good to be able to blend in with the crowd and try to avoid the glares. The only problem with more people though, was there was always more glares from people who DID see him.

He thought back to his conversation with the Old Man when he had asked him why the villagers hated him so much. He remembered the conversation quite clearly. He was in the Old Man's office, just recently escaping a particularly vengeful woman, who kept trying to say that he'd killed her husband. Naruto knew he didn't, he had never killed anyone before. When he tried to explain that to her, she blew up, slapping him, and then chasing him down the street, snarling threats all the way.

He was sitting across the desk from the Old Man, waiting patiently as he stuffed his pipe with tobacco and lit it, puffing a few times to get it lit, while gently pushing the tobacco with a pin to air let it get the air it needed. When he had finally got the pipe sufficiently lit, he turned towards the boy, who began relating the recent story to him. The Hokage nodded at all the right times, asking questions when necessary, and showed genuine concern.

"You're not hurt, are you?" he asked.

"No, I'm okay." answered Naruto.

"Hmm. I was hoping that nobody would attack you after the orphanage incident. I had put certain...warnings out that I would deal a swift punishment to aggressive people in this village." The Hokage nodded solemnly with the thought of his laws, both the one to keep the kyuubi's imprisonment a secret, and the law of a long visit with the department of inquiry with anyone who attacked Naruto.

"Do you think you can tell me the lady's name?" asked the Hokage.

The boy shook his head. He had been told by a few people that if he told the Hokage that he had to pay extra for things...or that he wasn't allowed to shop in certain stores, he'd pay. And he didn't want a repeat of the orphanage attack. Thankfully, there hadn't been.

"Ojii-chan?" Naruto tentatively asked. When the Hokage turned towards him, raising an eyebrow, He continued. It had been bothering him lately, but he had to know, and he didn't know who else to ask. He stumbled with his words for a moment, before blurting out, "Why does everyone hate me?"

The man inhaled sharply, unfortunately causing his lungs to fill up with too much of the harsh tobacco too quickly, burning his throat in the process. He bent over and coughed sharply, the pipe falling out of his mouth onto the floor. He hadn't been expecting that question yet. He knew it was a foolish hope, but he had hoped that the young 7 year old Naruto was still too naive to pick up on the fact that a large majority of the village hated him, rather than the small minority he would have the boy believe.

He thought for a long moment before answering, allowing his throat and lungs to recover as well. "Naruto..." he trailed off, not sure how to begin. Luckily, and stroke of brilliance hit him. This might be a little harsh for the boy, but it was much better than the full truth. "Sometimes, people have difficulty dealing with the emotions they have of the loss of a friend, or a wrong that has happened to them, and rather than learn to deal with these emotions and fix them, they project them onto others. You are the unfortunate target of many of these people… but when these people realize what a kind person you are, and perhaps even are helped by your kind heart, I'm sure many will see you for who you are, and will appreciate you as a great shinobi yourself. The day will come Naruto, I promise you."

The boy didn't seem to quite understand the mans explanation, which was good, because the Hokage realized a little sourly, he may have said too much. Thankfully the boy nodded, and stood up to leave. "Oh and Naruto?" the Hokage called him back to the desk and pulled out a coupon for Ichiraku's. "Go get yourself some lunch." he added with a smile.

The boy gave a bright grin and nodded, before hurrying out of the office.

Naruto's memory faded as he walked calmly in the direction of the shinobi academy. Darker thoughts began to fill his head. He couldn't stand people like that old man at the shop, and he dearly wished he could teach them a lesson. He would be powerful enough one day to do just that—and nobody would treat him that way again. For a moment the thoughts brought up the gorgeous red eyed woman, and how she stood up for him, and oddly, Naruto forgot entirely about planning how he'd punish the shop owner. Instead, a real smile was on his face until abruptly a pink haired girl knocked into him.

Naruto fell back, just barely catching his balance, and blinked when he looked down to see Sakura on the ground, rubbing where she'd evidently been hurt by the fall. Sakura, his crush. Her pink hair picked up a shine from the newly risen sun, and he had the strange urge to run his hands through it, to see if it was as soft and silky as it appeared.

His musings were cut short when green eyes scowled at him. "NARUTO!" she shouted. "Watch where you're going, baka!"

He sighed. It was always like this. "Sorry Sakura-chan," he nearly whined. He hated being yelled at by his crush, since it hurt all the more.

"You'd better be." she growled. "If I'm dirty now and Sasuke-kun won't talk to me because of it, there'll be hell to pay!"

Naruto gulped. Sakura really could be scary sometimes. She could be just as scary as that red eyed woman when she was yelling at that old man.

Naruto held out his hand to help Sakura up, which she promptly ignored, in favor of her friend Ino's hand. Naruto let the hand fall limply to his side, and watched as Sakura fixed her hair and brushed herself off.

Ino fixed him with a glare of her own, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "Don't worry about it Naruto. This gives me a huge advantage today over forehead-girl for Sasuke-kun's affection!" her eyes shown and she clasped her hands in front of her, thinking of her crush.

"Like hell it will, Ino-Pig!" shouted Sakura.

"It's not like you had a chance in the first place anyway, forehead." Ino casually retorted.

Naruto took a step back as the two glared at each other, sparks nearly flying from the collision of the two massive forces.

"How could Sasuke-kun ever like a pig like you." asked Sakura.

"My forehead isn't as big." responded Ino.

Sakura bristled at the insult. "My hair is a prettier color." she retorted.

Ino was quick with her own valid point. "My hair is longer. We both know Sasuke-kun likes long hair."

"I'm smarter in class. Sasuke-kun likes a more intelligent girl." Sakura said.

"But he also likes a more competent ninja, which I'm afraid to say, forehead-girl, is me."

Naruto sighed, realizing that he was already long forgotten by the two kunoichi. It wasn't an uncommon occurrence, but rather something he was quite used to. Almost every time these two were in the same room as Sasuke, it was like nothing else existed except for him. Without Sasuke, all they cared about was who which was better than the other. He turned back around from the other two, and continued on to the academy. He had bigger concerns.

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**End of CHAPTER 1**

Also, this is my first fanfic, so go easy. I would appreciate constructive criticism, so that I know me what to do to fix my writing. If you're just going to flame…then leave.

_**Cursory revisions:**_

-removal of Naruto's involvement with Ino and Sakura contest at the end.

-adapted the wording of Kurenai's first appearance, mainly stopped her from calling Naruto 'boy' and also from referring to him so directly in a few instances. Helps remove the illusion of age, (her calling him boy increases the gap), and also doesn't make her seem too fixated at first, allowing the growth to be natural.

-Slight modification of a wording for a few scenes.

-various grammatical and spelling errors fixed, but probably not all.


	2. The Day My Life Changes Forever

Disclaimer– "If there is a book you really want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it." -Toni Morrison

The Maelstrom of Konoha**-1.02**

**The Tale of a Young Boy's Ascent into the Legends**

_Sorry if the scenes at the end of the last chapter and the beginning of this one bother anyone. Ino and Sakura aren't the pairing. In case anyone is wondering, I based the idea off of the myth about how Paris gets Helen, the most beautiful woman in the world, when Aphrodite, Hera, and Athena all go to him and want him to choose who is the fairest. Each goddess bribes him, Athena, with wisdom, Hera, with riches, and Aphrodite, with the most beautiful woman in the world. Guess which one he chose in the myth? Anyway, thats what the idea came from. Of course, I didn't take it so far in the fic. -Cantor_

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When Naruto finally entered the classroom, his hands clasped behind his head, he looked up to see the usual chatter among the 27 students in his class.

Sakura and Ino had arrived a few moments after him, and had already started quarreling over who would be sitting next to Uchiha Sasuke, the number one rookie of the year, and the sole surviver of the Uchiha clan.

At the site of the raven haired boy, wearing his normal blue T-shirt with the Uchiha fan adorning it and his normal shorts, Naruto clenched his fists together, grimacing. Sasuke was his rival, in his eyes, the boy he had to do better than, to prove that he could beat.

Sensing his look, Sasuke turned towards Naruto, and with a huff of apparent disinterest, he turned away, gazing out the window to his left. Naruto had been training though, and knew that although the Uchiha certainly had talent, it wasn't like Naruto hadn't done anything with the tools the Old Man had given him years ago. He trained, and trained quietly. Naruto also had an extra year on all of the genin in his class, having stayed back an extra year to make sure he was ready. That, and he did accidentally mess up the bunshin technique in the exam last year.

That was the only technique he couldn't do though, which frustrated Naruto to no end. For some reason, regular bunshins were a real problem for him. His fighting skills were sharper than most of the genin however, he had a little more experience than them, after all. And kunai and weapons? Naruto had practiced them every day ever since the Old Man had given him his first set. Weapons were easy once you got the hang of them. Needless to say, Naruto was definitely ready for the exam today, and then he'd show the Uchiha.

Behind him was Akimichi Chouji and Nara Shikamaru. Like many of Naruto's classmates that were in clans this year, they were the heirs to their respective clan. Shikamaru and Chouji weren't bad guys. Naruto thought they were both pretty easy going in fact, and he wouldn't mind being on their teams after the exam. Chouji was a larger boy, who could usually be seen eating, often some form of chips. He needed to do this for his clan techniques evidently, as his clan used their sizes to their advantage in a fight, and the food not only made them bigger, but helped replenish their chakra.

Shikamaru, to put it simply, was a wonderfully lazy, but terribly smart kid. One wouldn't be able to tell from his grades, but Shikamaru had one of the sharpest minds of the bunch. He usually cloud watched and like to sleep in class. Admirable interests, if Naruto said so himself.

Next to them was another boy, who Naruto couldn't quite remember. He wasn't utterly significant. He didn't seem to have anything remarkable about him skill wise, and was a first generation shinobi.

Behind that row of the seats in the far back were 3 more important clan members of the village, and people that Naruto had gotten to know over the years. Inuzuka Kiba, Aburame Shino, and Hyuuga Hinata.

When his eyes met with Hinata's she turned red and looked away quickly. He never could figure out what he did to make her so angry. But then, she was a Hyuuga, and as he'd found out, Hyuuga's had little respect for him. She possessed a kekai genkai, an ability that was only passed on through blood. Her's was a little special, just like Sasuke-teme's. She had a doujutsu called the Byakuugan, which enabled her to see his chakra path ways and attack them with her clan's taijutsu style, the jyuuken.

Kiba was, to put it shortly, loud, obnoxious, and over confident. Though, Naruto had to admit, he had similar moments. Kiba always had his dog with him, Akamaru, which would fight alongside Kiba in every fight. they were extreme close partners, knowing each other from an early age, and were always together.

Aburame Shino was... quiet. He was also incredibly intelligent, as far as Naruto could tell. Either that, or he thought very carefully before speaking, because nothing unintelligent ever seemed to come out of his mouth. In fact, he never seemed to speak unless it was important. His clan used kikai bugs to fight. They allowed the bugs to inhabit their body, eating their chakra, in return for their services in a fight. Naruto wasn't sure how effective the bugs could be, but he was sure it had to have more benefits than he realized if an entire clan was based on this ability.

The rows in the middle of the class were mainly first generation shinobi, who were actually the sons and daughters of the villagers, and were the first family members to entire the academy and try to become shinobi. Like Naruto, he supposed. Though Naruto wasn't sure, his dad may have been a shinobi. Or his mom for that matter. Concerns for later in life though, when he was out of the academy and on his way to being a famous konoha shinobi.

The far three rows on the very left side of the class were likewise not from important families as far as he knew, although he was familiar with a few of them. Ami, for one, and her two friends sitting next to her. all he knew about them was that they didn't like Sakura, and had started the name "big forehead girl". For that reason alone, he didn't bother with them.

Below them in the middle were 2 guys and a girl, the one of the guys he recognized as Daichi, a boy who had amazing skills with kunai and could was pretty high up in the class grade wise, probably just below Shino.

In front of them were another three shinobi that Naruto didn't know that well, but it didn't matter even if he wanted to know them anyway, since he could see them all pointing at him and laughing. Naruto fixed them a stupid grin and walked past them to sit by Shikamaru and Chouji, filling in the only empty seat, as Ino and Sakura had compromised on the row in front to both sit by Sasuke, though Sakura was closer. He'd show all of them soon how much he knew.

"Hey Naruto, I'm surprised you even bothered to show up," jeered Kiba. "After all, I'd heard you failed the last time."

Before Naruto could retort, Iruka walked in, slamming a stack of papers onto the desk. "QUIET!" he shouted over all the talking.

The class immediately quieted down, and Iruka took a deep breath, before continuing. "Today is this year's annual genin exam." He looked around at the class to gauge everyone's reactions. They all appeared collected; a few seemed to be a little nervous. Uchiha Sasuke fixed him with a confident smirk.

"I expect all of you to do well. For many of you, this is your first time taking the exam. For those of you who are taking it for a second time, I hope the extra practice has prepared you sufficiently." He glanced at Naruto, which unfortunately many of the class seemed to catch. '_whoops. didn't mean to do that.'_thought the Chuunin. Giving Naruto an apologetic look, as some in the class snickered.

"The exam will consist of a short written exam, which I'm sure many of you have prepared for. However, this will only count for 1/6 of the test. The majority of the test will be outside, when it comes to shuriken and kunai targeting counting for 1/6 each, as well as ninjutsu testing in bunshin, kawarimi, and henge each counting for 1/6 themselves. You will need at least 4/6, or 66& in order to pass the exam," Explained Iruka.

"This test is to make sure that you have the minimum proficiency in academy level skills. An ideal ninja would be able to get 100 percent on tests, showing proficiency in all areas. However, that is a little much to expect of a genin fresh out of the academy, so we are more forgiving. All genin who pass this exam however are expected to practice the skills they did poorly in until they have complete mastery over the skill." He continued.

Naruto felt a wad of paper hit him in the side of the head, and turned to see one of the kids he didn't know very well smirking at him. He sighed, ignoring the kid. He had already failed the exam twice. Once he had tried to take it early, when he was eleven, to graduate ahead. He'd failed to do that since he wasn't ready yet and instead continued on and tried to take it when he should at age 12. Of course, he had a bad stroke of luck and somehow messed up with the written and the bunshin. While the first one he didn't count because it was taken early, the second one was a little embarrassing. He'd been pushed back a year then to this class, made up of primarily 12 year olds and ready to graduate.

This year would be different, he promised. He had to make sure the Hokage knew he could depend on him to follow through. An image of the red-eyed Jounin came into his head, wishing him luck. He grew determined, and got ready to give this test his all.

While bunshin was still impossible for him for whatever reason, kawarimi and Henge he could manage fine now, and kunai and shuriken were easy that would give him at least the minimum 4/6 score. The written test would be the issue. If he could answer them, then everything would be okay with a 5/6, a respectable score at least.

Naruto looked back at Iruka as the Chuunin instructor walked to the door of the classroom to answer a knock. "Today Mizuki-sensei will be helping me proctor the test to make sure none of you are cheating, and to make sure everything goes by quickly and smoothly." announced Iruka.

The man who walked in wasn't unfamiliar at all. He had helped Iruka teach his lessons many times before, normally as an assistant, and he seemed nice enough. He had shoulder length silver hair, and had a ready smile for most of the class. He waved to them and gave them a simple "good luck everyone. Hopefully by tomorrow you will all be genin."

With that, Iruka and Mizuki divided up the tests and began to hand them out to the class. There were three different versions of the test, each person on a table had a different version to prevent cheating. Shikamaru had version A, Chouji version B, and Naruto version C.

"You have exactly 45 minutes to finish this test." announced Iruka, looking at his watch. "Mizuki and I will be walking amongst you to make sure nobody is cheating."

Naruto ducked his head and looked at the questions. They were fairly simple, if the first three of them were any measurement.

#1. State ninja rule number 25, and explain it's importance to today's ninja's in the field.

#2. Explain what chakra is.

#3. Explain what a Hokage is, and what important role this person fulfills in the Fire Country.

Naruto quickly answered the 20 question test, with 10 minutes to spare. As he thought, they weren't difficult, and he had little trouble. He looked up to see Mizuki looking at him oddly, before he continued on. Perhaps he didn't think Naruto would be able to do this test. He looked around at his classmates in his free time, curious to see how everyone was doing.

Shikamaru was sleeping on his desk, the pencil beside him. Naruto wasn't even sure if he'd done the test at all or not, since his paper was turned over. Chouji was filling out the questions pretty easily it seemed, taking his time with each one and eating a bag of potato chips in between questions.

Shino and Hinata were already done, and Kiba was smirking as he wrote his answers down. Sakura and Sasuke and Ino were all already finished as well. His half of the class seemed to be doing fairly well.

The middle portion of the class seemed to have a lot of people sweating bullets, and the third portion of the class opposite of Naruto seemed to be doing well. All together the class seemed to be having few problems.

Naruto knew though that the ninjutsu would crush a lot of hopefuls, as would the targeting test.

After the test they all walked outside to complete the targeting in the training grounds. They lined up and were all told to have 5 shuriken and 5 kunai ready. They each stepped up in turn and tried to hit the 5 bullseyes on the targets for each of the weapons.

Naruto glared when Sasuke decided to show off and throw all five of each at the same time, 5 kunai with one hand and 5 shuriken with the other, and nailed all of the kunai.

"Sasuke-kun is so cool!" squealed one of his fangirls.

Again, Naruto's half of the class seemed to do fairly better than the rest, with the exception of Daichi, who pulled off the same feat as Sasuke, though with much less fanfare afterwards.

"Uzumaki Naruto," called out Iruka. "It's your turn."

Naruto nodded and stepped forward, preparing his kunai. He decided to finish it carefully rather than showy like Sasuke, and took careful aim. This would be easy.

Mizuki watched as the yellow haired genin got ready. He couldn't stand the fact that this demon brat was taking this exam, much less allowed into the academy. But it would be over his dead body if the boy ever passed this exam. He glanced at Iruka. How could the man forgive the brat after what he'd done all those years ago. Couldn't he see he was a demon? Mizuki knew he'd have to take care of this himself. Iruka was too loyal to fail the boy purposely. Behind his back, he made a few handseals.

Naruto took a deep breath and threw his kunai first, quickly but carefully. He nodded as he saw them travel to exactly where he aimed them, but abruptly laughter broke out from the students behind him. Naruto blinked, and realized... he'd missed the training targets completely? All 5 of his kunai were in the dirt several yards behind where the targets were. How could that be? He could've done this blindfolded!

Iruka got the class to quiet down while Naruto shook himself and pulled out the shuriken. He'd make sure that these ones hit. Maybe Iruka would be a little kind and still pass him if he got all bullseyes with the shuriken. He took another calming breath, and released his shuriken. This was it! These were sure to hit, he was sure – what the...? Again, all of his airborne weapons missed the targets completely, and landed off in the dirt past the targets.

The class all laughed again, and jeers of "Dobe!" and "Nice aim, dead-last!" were shouted from the students. Naruto hung his head in shame, too embarrassed to look at his classmates. He did, however, notice Shino and Shikamaru looking at him oddly. How had he missed? _'What did I do wrong?'_ he thought to himself.

When the class had finally calmed down, they were all told to line up in the hallway outside their regular classroom while each student stepped inside to complete testing. As Naruto's name was called, he took a step inside to see Iruka and Mizuki sitting and smiling at him.

"Okay Naruto, I'm going to need you to perform a Henge to look like me, a Kawarimi, as well as 2 bunshin." said Iruka.

Naruto nodded and performed the Henge. Iruka nodded and marked something down on his clipboard. After the kawarimi, it was the same thing. Then they reached the bunshin. _'I can do this'_ thought Naruto fiercely. He had to pull off a bunshin, or he'd only have a 3/6, that is, if he passed the written. 3/6 was not a passing grade. He took a deep calming breath, checking to make sure he was doing the handseals right. He made the seal and channeled the chakra into the technique.

A cloud of smoke poofed up on either side of him, and Naruto looked at each, trying to see if he'd done it correctly. The moment seemed to take forever though as the smoke slowly cleared, allowing him to see, too clones that were pale and malformed, resembling a sickly, mangled body more than Naruto himself.

"Naruto..." Iruka sighed, disappointment clearly in his voice, "You've failed."

The words rang through the room stabbing into Naruto's heart like kunai. After trying so hard – after practicing so much, and after so many promises to the Hokage, he still failed. Naruto hung his head, too ashamed to look up and meet Iruka's eyes, or notice the slight smirk on Mizuki's face.

He walked out of the room to where other students were still waiting for their turns to take the exam. He ignored the questions of "How'd it go?" and laughter from those who realized he'd failed, and he kept walking, far past his classmates, outside onto the swing. He sat there for what seemed like forever, watching as the kids who passed were gathering outside the front door to the academy, waiting for their proud parents to pick them up, smiling at their child's success.

He ignored some of the whispers he heard from the older crowd, about how they were _glad_he failed. He caught a few passing sympathetic glances, but it did little to subside his sadness. Again his thoughts turned darker, his thoughts began to be clouded by ideas and images, suggesting he take control and show he was better than them. He saw a woman glaring at him from the crowd of his classmates, and he glared back, putting all his hatred he could into his eyes, and received a approving murmur in his thoughts when the woman flinched back.

This was how Mizuki found Naruto, on the swing, his legs barely touching the ground beneath him as killer intent rolled off the small genin in waves towards some of the older villagers in the crowd. He stopped for a moment, wishing he could kill the boy now and be done with it – but he had to wait. The demon could live till tonight, after he'd served his purpose.

The older man put his hand on Naruto's shoulder, and when the boy luck up behind him at the smiling Chuunin, Mizuki put his plan into action.

"You know Naruto, Iruka only made that decision because he wants you to grow into a strong ninja for the leaf. You shouldn't let it discourage you."

The boy nodded glumly for a moment before turning away to think things over. But Mizuki wasn't done yet.

"Wait, Naruto. You can prove to Iruka that you're ready to become a genin now if you are determined enough."

This stopped the boy in his tracks, and he excitedly turned around towards Mizuki. "How, Mizuki-sensei?"

The Chuunin smiled to himself. '_This is too easy_.' "There is a second, less common way to become a genin. It was what the villages used to do in the days before academies. All you have to do is prove your skills in the field. To do this, there is a scroll in the Hokage's tower that is kept there in a special room, guarded by genjutsu and traps. In the old days, it was traditional for the aspiring ninja to take this scroll out of the tower and learn at least one skill from the scroll, and deliver it to the Chuunin testing him without the Hokage, or other ninja's in the village stopping him."

So I need to take a scroll from the Hokage tower and learn something from it? I can do that. I'll go get it now!" declared Naruto, about to hurry off to the tower.

Mizuki quickly pulled the boy back. "Not yet!" he snarled. Realizing he may have come on a bit strongly, he calmed himself down. "A few tips for you: Do it tonight when less people are around. then when you get this scroll, which will be on the third floor of the Hokage tower at the far end of the hall, you'll head northwards into the forest behind the Hokage monuments. You'll find an old shack in a clearing about 5 minutes in. I'll be waiting there for you." He winked and walked away from the boy, happy with himself for his ingenious plan.

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

Hours later, after Naruto had planned his entire route through the Hokage tower, and even scouted out the building earlier, the young academy student drop out hurried over the rooftops along Main street until he reached the tower.

He jumped from one of the roofs onto a ledge on top of the second floor and gently opened one of the windows. After climbing in, he found he was one room over too far from where he planned to enter, but it didn't matter much. He went out into the hall and climbed up the stairs, carefully checking for any other ninja in the building. He'd heard conversations going on down a few halls, but never actually ran into anyone.

When he'd finally got up to the third floor in the main hall, he headed down to the far end, towards the only door with several locks on it. It had to be that one. His original plan had been to head through the door and avoid the traps, but seeing the locks on the door, he realized he wouldn't be able to pick the locks properly. He made a mental note to learn how to do that properly, and came up with a new plan.

The ceiling on the hallway was made of individual panels, held together by thin metal strips. If he jumped and pushed off the wall to reach the ceiling, he found that he could push the panels aside pretty easily.

When he pushed one away entirely, he saw that there was room enough for him to crawl in, with more to spare. He pushed off the wall again mid-jump, and clung onto the ceiling with his fingers

Pulling himself up, he was glad to see that he could just squeeze by and get past the point where the door was below him. He crawled past that point where he thought the door was and continued until he was on the far side of the room.

He carefully put his nails into the small divides between the panels and picked up one of them, sliding it out of the way as he did so.

He dropped down out of the new opening in the ceiling and replaced the panel to where it should have been. He looked at his new surroundings.

The entire room was surrounded with scrolls and several weapons and books. He inspected the walls near the door he had been planning on entering through and saw several trip wires attached nearby, as well as a trap that was set to go off as soon as the door began to enter. Idly, he wondered how someone was really supposed to enter the room. He wasn't sure how someone could disable the traps from the other side of the door.

Either way, it didn't matter. He looked towards the scroll that Mizuki had described to him, with purple markings on the outer edges, along. Unrolling it, he found the techniques that Mizuki had described. "Wow! Some of these are really cool techniques!"

He looked down for one that looked like he could learn.

"Kage Bunshin?"

Beneath the jutsu was it's description:

Rank: A class jutsu.

Description: Allows the user to make solid bunshins to deal and receive damage while dividing chakra reserves equally. The bunshins have their own level of intelligence, corresponding to that of the user. A primary advantage of the Kage bunshin is that all newly acquired knowledge by the bunshins is transferred to the user upon dispelling. Technique was banned by Shodaime Hokage.

Naruto glanced around furtively, and saw a window with several traps attached to it as well. Rather than climbing through the ceiling passages and dropping down into a hallway with guards possibly walking by, Naruto just cut the traps and jumped out the window.

He landed on the roof of a nearby building and ended in a roll. Getting up, he quickly, he hurried into a run to the north, towards the Hokage monument.

When he'd entered the forest, he paused for a moment in a clearing, before he reached where Mizuki would be waiting for him.

He had to make sure he learned at least ONE skill from the scroll. Opening it, he quickly scanned for techniques that he could probably use. The Kage Bunshin one from before had interested him, and he quickly found it again.

He read through the proper hand seals and the way to gather your chakra, and finally settled down to practice.

A full hour later, he already memorized the workings behind the technique, and although Naruto wasn't sure how many clones he was supposed to be able to make, he could easily make a couple hundred. "Heh. This technique isn't that hard! I can't wait to see the look on everyone's face when they see me use this!"

He suddenly had the odd idea to copy down these techniques, and practice them as he pleased later. Not seeing any harm in this, Naruto quickly scanned through a few techniques for ones that looked interesting.

Lower Covenant Technique:

Rank: S class jutsu

Description: While the full uses are generally unknown, the jutsu is said to allow the user to contact and...the words were smudged here,...in return for the...and smudged here as well... The exact method of carrying out the jutsu is unclear. Shodaime Hokage banned the use of this jutsu after Uchiha Madara's questionable use, and the following fight at the Valley of the End.

Naruto frowned at the smudged portions of the scroll, wishing the scroll wasn't so damaged that the description was illegible, as well as the scroll having the full directions of having the technique. instead it had a vague description of the possible seals and the chakra manipulation. Apparently the person who wrote this scroll didn't know how to do the jutsu themselves. Either way, Naruto was eager to have the chance to learn an S-class jutsu, so he quickly wrote it down, promising himself to look up more information on the jutsu later. After he wrote down the first technique, he immediately saw another powerful technique, piquing his interest.

Berserker Technique:

Rank: A class jutsu

Description: Originally an Inuzuka technique, the Berserker jutsu creates an effect similar to opening the gates at a greater cost. Using this jutsu results in an increase in the user's bloodlust, reaction rate, strength, and a minimal increase in speed, at a high cost in chakra and life force. Technique may also kill user if the person is wounded greatly. Banned by decree of Shodaime Hokage and Nidaime Hokage in agreement with Inuzuka Clan head - after increasing losses in Inuzuka Clan.

One of the lower ones caught Naruto's eye. It was written in a different handwriting than the rest, and at the bottom Naruto found why. _'Old Man Hokage banned this one...'_

Shiki Fuuin:

Rank: S Class sealing jutsu

Description: Created by the Yondaime, this is perhaps the most dangerous, as well as the most powerful sealing technique. It calls upon the Shinigami itself to seal the soul of any target into an object, at the cost of the user's life. After it's use 13 years ago, and the Yondaime's subsequent death because of it's use, the Sandaime decreed that it would be permanently banned from use unless a dire emergency.

"13 years ago? That was with the Kyuubi..." muttered Naruto. Suddenly a huge torrent of images came to his head, unbidden. He saw a gigantic frog, with a man in Hokage robes standing on top, and then a bright flash of light blinding him. Along with the image came an extreme amount of anger, which fled as quickly as the image.

_'Woah. What was that?'_ wondered Naruto. He looked over the technique, but decided to pass by it instead, disturbed by the vision he had after reading about it, and went to look for a different technique instead.

He was about to copy down a third when he heard someone coming. Probably Mizuki. He quickly put his copies away, and set got ready to hand the scroll over to his sensei. To his surprise, Iruka dropped down in front of him.

He looked angry. VERY angry. "NARUTO!" He shouted!

"Iruka-sensei!" Naruto grinned. "Oh man I got caught already? I thought Mizuki sensei was going to show up, but I guess I'll show you instead. I only got to learn one technique though!"

"Mizuki..?" question Iruka. "What are you talking about Naruto? Hand over the forbidden scroll and I'll see if I can get the Hokage to go easy on you."

"What? I'm being punished?" asked Naruto.

"OF COURSE YOU ARE!" screamed Iruka. "You stole the forbidden scroll from the Hokage Tower!"

Naruto was shocked. "But- ... what? I thought if I took this scroll from the Hokage tower without being caught and learned one of the techniques, you'd graduate me!"

It was Iruka's turn to be shocked. "Who said that?" he asked.

"Mizuki-sensei of course!" shouted Naruto. "He told me about this scroll and this place to practice, everything! Now let me show you this really great technique Iruka-sensei!" He put his hands together in an unfamiliar seal.

"Kage-" he began, just as Iruka saw a glint of metal in the trees out of the corner of his eye.

"NARUTO GET DOWN!" shouted Iruka, shoving the young student out of the way.

Naruto didn't know what was happening – one minute he was about to graduate, and the next he was being attacked, and Iruka took the blow for him, covering Naruto with his own body. Naruto could see several kunai impaling his academy instructor..

A voice drifted out from the trees. "I'm surprised you found out about this place." Mizuki jumped into view on a tree branch.

"I see, so that's how it is," Iruka growled, gritting his teeth in pain.

"Naruto, hand over the scroll" said Mizuki, ignoring the chuunin for a moment.

"Hey... what's going on here?" asked Naruto, thoroughly confused.

"Naruto, don't let him get the scroll, no matter what. That's a dangerous scroll that has forbidden techniques! Mizuki used you so he could get a hold of it!" gasped our Iruka as he yanked the kunai out of himself.

Mizuki realized things were quickly going downhill. time to spin some distrust between the genin and his academy instructor. "Naruto, Iruka is afraid of you having that scroll. Let me tell you the truth. A rule was created after the incident 12 years ago. It's a rule that only you, Naruto, can't find out about."

"What are you talking about?" asked Naruto.

"STOP IT, Mizuki!" yelled Iruka, still incapacitated by the kunai.

"It's a rule to not say that you are the demon fox!" shouted Mizuki. "In order words, YOU are the nine tailed demon fox who attacked the village and killed so many! Didn't you think it was weird for everyone to hate you so much?"

Suddenly the more images came to Naruto, who held his head at the sudden pain and anger he felt. A great set of eyes behind a cage glared down at him, a giant set of teeth shining in the darkness. The teeth opened and let out a huge roar, before snapping him. The image ended and another came, a nine tailed fox slaughtering shinobi, swatting them away like flies, and roaring with rage. A raging voice came to his head, sounding awfully similar to the dark thoughts Naruto would sometimes have while depressed. **"So you can hear me, whelp. Kill him. KILL HIM!"**it boomed,**"Rip the silver haired****man to shreds and show him my jinchuuriki's power!"**when Naruto only sat there, clutching his head, the voice continued. **"Yes, it is my voice you have been hearing all these years. How pathetic that you never realized it. But I will settle this later. For now, LIVE, AND KILL."**

Mizuki threw his fuuma shuriken at Naruto, who could only stand, too lost in the hurricane of thoughts to do anything about it.

"DUCK, NARUTO!" yelled Iruka, who had finally freed himself from the kunai.

He dived in front of the kunai and protected Naruto with his body, and Naruto, who was snapped out of his trance, could only look up and ask, "Why?"

"Because you're the same as me," answered the Chuunin, coughing up blood. "When my parents died, no one was there to care for me or compliment me, so I acted like the clown to get attention. It was tough, wasn't it, Naruto?" Tears welled up in the Chuunin's eyes as he thought of the lives he and Naruto have lived. "If I had been more aware, I could have saved you from such a tough life."

Mizuki chuckled cruelly. "Don't make me laugh! Iruka has hated you since you killed his parents! He just wants to get that scroll back!"

Naruto broke off into a run, fleeing from the two chuunins. Iruka could only cry out his name, as Mizuki laughed, promising to kill the demon fox and take the scroll from himself. "I'm glad I used that genjutsu to make the brat fail his targeting. Otherwise I never would have had this chance to use him and to kill him afterwards!" Mizuki put a dark sneer on his face. "I'll deal with you later, Iruka."

Mizuki changed himself into Iruka and found Naruto running with the scroll strapped to his back. "Naruto, give me the scroll, Mizuki just wants it for himself!" he yelled. He was surprised when Naruto turned and hit him in the stomach, dispelling his henge.

"How did you know it was me?" Mizuki asked.

"I'm Iruka." answered the Naruto doppleganger, who dispelled his henge, showing Iruka in it's place.

"I see." said Mizuki. "What's the point in protecting the monster who killed your parents? There's no way Naruto, the monster fox wouldn't use the scroll's powers."

"You're right." answered Iruka. "The monster fox would do that. But Naruto isn't the fox. He's a hard working student that I care about."

"Hmph. I know I said I'd kill you later, Iruka." began Mizuki, pulling out a second fuuma shuriken. "But I've changed my mind." He was about to release the shuriken, killing Iruka, when Naruto quickly jumped out, slamming a kick into the Chuunin's side, throwing his aim off.

"Don't lay a finger on Iruka-sensei," warned Naruto. "Or I'll kill you!"

"Kage bunshin no jutsu!"

Thousands of clones filled the clearing, and Mizuki could only look on helplessly, as the clones began to charge.

After it was all done, and Mizuki lay on the ground defeated, Iruka called Naruto over. "Naruto, close your eyes."

When Naruto opened them, Iruka tied his own Konoha forehead protector onto Naruto's forehead. "Congratulations, Naruto."

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**End of CHAPTER 2**

Sorry if I don't put all the techniques into Japanese. I have my reasons for keeping my original jutsu's in English, and trust me, it's a good one, but I can't explain without ruining the reason... eh...trust me on this one. if the jutsu is something that sounds absolutely horrible in English and I think I can get away with the translation of it without...ruining my reasons for keeping English jutsus, then I'll change it to japanese. (I hope that makes sense. It might not. If you don't get it, don't worry about it, and trust me)


	3. Team Selections!

Disclaimer– "Substitute 'damn' every time you feel inclined to write 'very'; your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be." -Mark Twain

The Maelstrom of Konoha**-1.03**

**The Tale of a Young Boy's Ascent into the Legends**

_Please be patient with pairings and such. They won't appear for a 'DAMN' long time (I don't have an editor. Read disclaimer quote if you don't get it). If I didn't make anything completely clear in the story (read: confusing), email/review your question and I'll try and clear it up. (If I can't then...well, maybe I can't make it any clearer.) Now bow down while I eat innocent baby bunnies in front of you...in an evil manner. -Cantor_

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

Naruto slept restlessly that night, tossing and turning under his sheets, which tangled uncomfortably and left him sweating. The young blond had been up late that night, celebrating his new graduation with his sensei, Iruka.

One might think that with all the excitement from the long day, that the newly promoted young blond haired, blue eyed genin would be sleeping soundly, too exhausted from earlier to be so restless. Normally, this conclusion would be correct. Even the normally over energetic Uzumaki Naruto would succumb to a peaceful sleep after a taxing day. However, the the genin's unrest was not due to unspent energy as many would think.

In fact, Naruto had nearly stumbled into his apartment after eating a celebratory dinner with his sensei, Iruka early that day. "So...tired." mumbled the genin, eyeing his bedroom door eagerly. He trudged into the bathroom and brushed his teeth and washed his face, splashing some cold water onto himself in the hopes of keeping himself awake with the icy shock for a few moments.

Afterwards he turned around and walked to a calender he had tacked onto the wall. He quickly marked down that on the day after tomorrow, he'd have to go to the academy at 10:00 in the morning for an explanatory meeting for new genin, where he'd find out what team he was on and with who else in his class, as well his who his Jounin instructor was.

He glanced at tomorrow's date, realizing it was November 6th, the first Tuesday of the month. He made a little reminder to himself to gather his allowance and also made a short list of things he'd need to buy with it, groceries, a large part of which was ramen, some new sandals, since his current ones were getting worn thin.

He then eagerly walked into his bedroom, albeit slowly from his exhaustion, and barely managed to pull back the sheets before he collapsed in bed, his eyes closing.

His peaceful rest had lasted for all but 30 minutes, before a voice had boomed in his head, **"I told you to kill him. You didn't."**It wasn't a question. **"I knew you were weak. You always were, letting the****pathetic humans in this village treat you like garbage!"**Naruto's eyes bulged as he realized exactly who, or what, was talking to him right now. **"You are my prison,"**the voice continued,**"but just because I'm stuck in here doesn't mean I'm going to let you be a WEAK AND PATHETIC****JAILOR!"**

Naruto kicked frightfully at that roar, but, being the foolhardy greenhorn genin that he was, he quickly began to argue back, "I didn't want to kill him!" Okay, that sounded more like a whine, but Naruto was still getting the hang of this. "Mizuki-sensei wasn't -" he was cut off by a thundering**"SILENCE! From now on, you will NOT show mercy to filthy two timing humans. Nor will you show that filth that betrayed you any respect by calling him 'sensei'."**

Naruto gave a slight shudder at the idea of talking to...this demon, and turned again his bed, looking for a comfortable position. He shut his eyes and tried to focus on anything but the voice in his head, trying to tune it out. Unfortunately, it seemed that no matter what he did, the voice continued to roar insults, demanding that it's jinchuuriki be as brutal as itself was to it's own enemies.

Eventually, it said something that truly terrified Naruto. **"You are my container and yet you are pathetic and weak. If you will not fix it yourself, then I will step in. I will not die because of your stubbornness."**

Naruto's eyes shot open at that, scared at what the demon could be hinting at. _Is it going to break out? Will it try and take me over?_

Mirthless laughter rumbled in his head, and his answer came to him. **"Don't think I haven't tried. I will have my freedom one day. Until then though, I'm offering to give you...power. I'll think of it as insurance that you will stay alive, and consequently me as well... Now, I will speak to you face to face..."**

Naruto straighted suddenly, and nearly began to run from his bed, before he realized he had no where to run – not from his inner demon. He felt an odd tug at his navel before things went black.

It was going to be a very long night for Uzumaki Naruto.

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

Meanwhile, across the village of Konoha, in a dimly lit room, Iruka was currently evaluating his student's final scores for the academy so that he could make – no,_suggest_ properly balanced teams. Iruka's job wasn't actually to make the teams, but rather, having the most experience with the genin from the academy, he was to file a report on the students abilities and put them into what he thought would be the most suitable teams, before handing the report over to the Hokage, who would give it a final review with the possible Jounin sensei, and then they would finalize the teams, sometimes making changes on their own whims.

_'Seems Uchiha Sasuke has the highest overall yearly scores,'_thought Iruka._'that makes him this year's Rookie of the Year, while pink-haired Haruno Sakura has the highest test scores, making her...the student with the highest test scores._ _Hmm...Naruto has the lowest scores...thats a shame, he could do__much better.'_

Iruka had in front of him individual papers for each of his 27 students this year, on top of each paper on the left hand side were there names, while beneath them were their grades on every single test or exercise they had ever completed at the academy this year. The papers also had the chakra reserve level, ninjutsu, genjutsu, and taijutsu proficiency, as well as the projected levels that they would receive in these areas.

After he'd finished sorting through them all and was well acquainted with each student's information file, he spread them out over his desk, which was brightly lit by the only light that was on in the room, and began to organize them into this year's genin teams.

Soon, these kids would be stuck in this teams for close to their entire lives. If they were lucky. Some wouldn't pass the final genin exam given to them by their prospective Jounin instructors, while others...well, others might suffer the horrible fate of the death of a team mate on a mission.

Iruka kept this in mind as he set up the teams, deciding that he would stick with the traditional method of putting the teams together – making sure they were all well balanced – so that he would hopefully spare them from unfortunate deaths. He'd rather have the students be uncomfortable with people they weren't on the best of terms with than have them face the cruelty of the death, all because of a weak team.

"Let's see here..." he mumbled, scanning over the papers. "Ah, Uchiha Sasuke. rookie of the year. Now...let's see. Traditionally, rookie of the year is teamed up with the year's lowest scoring genin." Iruka's eyes scanned over the papers till his eyes fell on Naruto.

"Naruto isn't going to like this..." He sighed. He picked up Naruto's information and laid it on top of Sasuke's paper, leaving just enough room to show Sasuke's name. He scanned the other papers.

"Hmm. Well Shino and Kiba both have excellent ways to gather information with their 'helpers'. So I'll put them together... Ah! Hinata also has the Byakuugan, so she can team up with them. That's one full team for reconnaissance." Iruka smiled as he put their papers together in a neat stack.

"Now, we have the Ino-Shika-Chou team that will be continued from last generation, and will hopefully be just as successful..."

Iruka sighed again, looking over the 18 genin of the original 27 in his class that passed the academy's test. _'That's a 33 percent failure rate'_Thought Iruka with a frown. More people had failed this year than usual. '_Surprising that Naruto passed then, considering that had Mizuki not interfered with a genjutsu Naruto would have done it.'_Either way, it didn't matter. Naruto's official reason for passing may be because of his mastery of Kage Bunshin and helping apprehend the traitor Mizuki, but Iruka knew he could do it on his own. _'if only I'd been more observant during the tests with Mizuki...'_

Iruka sat back with a groan, stretching his arms and cracking his neck. He rubbed his eyes a bit, blinking when he opened them again and the bright desk lamp seared his eyes.

It was going to be a very long night for Umino Iruka.

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

Off down the street from where the academy instructor was laboring over the possible genin teams, and a few blocks over, a noisy bar was open, casting light onto the dark street through the windows and slightly ajar doorway.

Inside the bar were several Jounin, many of them were regulars here, as this bar had been around for some time, and was well known for its comfortable atmosphere. Music was playing lightly in the background over many conversations, and a thick layer of smoke hung in the air.

Off next to one of the windows, in their own booth, were too well known kunoichi of Konoha. One wore a long, high collar trench coat over a tight, revealing fishnet shirt and leggings that ended at her thigh, reaching just past the short skirt she wore that matched the long coat. She had bright hazel eyes and dark purple hair, which she had tied back. Despite all of this, her most eye catching feature was the smirk she wore.

Special Jounin Mitarashi Anko was well known for her smirk. One could read volumes into her smirk, which had more variations than one could name. There was that told you she had the upper hand, another that told you she was toying with you, another that made you feel entirely too uncomfortable, and not in a good way, among many others.

Across from the Special Jounin was another beautiful woman, with raven dark hair that flowed past her shoulders, and bright luscious red lips. She wore an odd outfit, with one long red sleeve over her right arm, her left arm remained bare, over which was a dress that seemed almost like it was one long, thin piece of cloth that she simply wrapped around herself after she got out of the shower, leaving many men to wonder if that was really how she undressed, and subsequently, that led to other, vulgar thoughts.

The most striking thing about this woman though was her bright red eyes, which caught your attention and seemed to hold it more than anything else about her. One could look at her eyes and truly call them the most beautiful eyes they had ever seen on a woman. It was a compliment that this particular Kunoichi often received in fact, though it was sadly over exploited as a compliment, by men who only had one interest in mind when saying it.

Yuuhi Kurenai's red eyes stared at her friend across the table as she at her fourth plate of dango and finished off her sake.

"You keep up at that pace and you'll be fat and drunk." she commented wryly.

Anko snorted. "And if you keep staring the men here will think you're more into me than them."

Kurenai didn't even blink. "Well, it will stop some of the annoying pick ups I get from the drunks."

Anko frowned. That wasn't how this was supposed to go. Kurenai normally would've just came back with another stab at her and her eating habits or something, rather than something so...annoyed sounding.

"What's bothering you?" she asked finally, pouring them both some more sake. She caught her friends odd look, and held up her hand to stop her from asking what she meant.

"You know what I mean, so don't even bother asking. I can tell something is bothering you right now, so spit it out."

Just then one of the 'brave men' at the counter in the front of the bar got off his stool, and checking himself over, started heading over towards the two women. Anko and Kurenai both noticed him, the former giving a wicked grin, saying "Looks like you have another suitor, Kurenai-chan! And if you don't tell me what's bothering you soon, I think I'm going to help the young man out."

Kurenai rolled her eyes, though she realized that the man wasn't exactly the most attractive of the bunch...he looked like he was beaten with the ugly stick when he was born, so she thought carefully on how she would tell Anko what was troubling her, in order to avoid Anko helping the man flirt with her.

"How familiar are you with...Uzumaki Naruto?" asked the red eyed woman.

"Hmm?" Anko hummed, still watching the man stumbling his way towards them. "You mean the Kyuubi brat?" she asked.

Kurenai nodded, trying to ignore the man who had finally reached the edge of their table, standing there stupidly. "What do you think of him?"

The drunk man, hearing this, thought she was talking about himself. He smirked cockily. "It's not often I hear two gorgeous women talking about me before I even meet them. How about I buy you two a drink and we get to know each other a little better?"

Hardly even noticing what the man said, other than that it was another pathetic attempt at approaching them, they continued their conversation.

"Well, I can't say I've ever really given the boy any thought. He's probably had it pretty rough though." answered Anko, taking another sip of her sake, only to find it empty. She turned towards the man. "Hey, didn't you offer to buy us a drink?" she asked.

The man blinked stupidly, before grinning and giving her a nod. "Of course. I'll be right back, so you, me and your pretty eyed friend here can get cozy together." He winked to her and Kurenai before he turned around and gave a victory sign to his friends across the bar and walked off to get them some more sake.

Kurenai raised an eyebrow and Anko's methods of getting more alcohol, but let it slide. The man might realize how stupid he was after this. "Before the genin exams I walked into a shinobi store and found the store owner threatening him and about to beat him. And I don't think the he would have got off easy, especially if anyone else happened to go into the store. The looks I've seen him draw from some villagers are terrible, not to mention some of our own shinobi!"

Anko nodded silently, her eyes downcast as she thought it over. "That bad, huh? I thought things like that had ended a few years back, especially after...well, most of it ended after the orphanage incident. I remember Ibiki having a few field days around that time. I was too 'inexperienced' to sit in on any of the sessions yet, but I know they weren't pleasant."

The man came back, and hearing the orphanage incident, immediately realized who they were talking about. "The demon?" he snarled, as best he could drunk, his words coming a little slowly. Obviously thinking this was what the women wanted to hear, he proudly told them his own story. "Wasn't too long ago I got my revenge on that monster. Managed to get a few good hits on him I did." The man started to embellish a bit, already trying to capitalize on what he thought the women would find _oh so appealing._"The brat tried to fight back, but he was no match for me. I nearly managed to finish him off, but I could hear someone run off when they saw me, probably to get the ANBU, but believe me, I'd be surprised if that brat managed to walk home that night," he boasted.

Abruptly Kurenai stood up, and turned to face the man, who barely had time to react before she kneed him squarely between the legs. Nearly every male in the bar winced and put their legs closer together, as though instinctively protecting their own genitals from pain. Putting her hands into a seal, Kurenai ignored the tears in her eyes and she called out silently, "Magen: Jigoku Gouka no Jutsu (Hellfire Technique)".

Suddenly the man's face contorted into a silent scream, as he felt the imaginary flames begin to consume his body. He flailed around on the ground for a moment, still holding himself, when finally he found air in his lungs, and began to scream aloud.

Anko stood up quickly and put her hand on her friend's shoulder, "Stop it!" she hissed. Kurenai turned towards the purple haired jounin quickly, as though surprised to find her there. Reason dawned on Kurenai's face and the man's screams lessened.

The two women turned to see the bartender walking over, glaring at them. "Out!" he yelled, pointing towards the door. "I don't need a whole shinobi fight inside my bar! I get enough damage from simple drunken idiots tripping over their own feet as it is!"

The women hurriedly paid their tab and hurried out the door of the bar, into the cool night air. A small tawny cat saw them and quickly slunk away down an alley.

"So, I can see Kurenai is a little touchy when it comes to her little boyfriend." teased Anko.

Kurenai scowled at her friend. "Hardly, Anko. I don't indulge in such...perversions."

Anko laughed throatily. "Ah but their so much tastier young..." she hissed seductively.

"Well I can say we're bound to disagree on some points," Kurenai admitted. "I really do hate seeing people mistreat Naruto though. Anyone who takes the time to actually watch him can tell he's not being influenced. In a way, it's similar to how the villagers used to treat you, Anko."

Anko stopped walking alongside her friend for a moment at her friends comment. _'Just like me, huh?'_ She fell back into pace with her friend quickly though, and trying to cover up her reaction she teased her friend a bit more. "Well I guess if you've been..._watching_the boy much then I guess we actually DO agree, Kurenai-chan,"Anko spoke suggestively. "Younger IS better. Just don't take advantage of him without me if he ends up on your team. I'll expect you to share." Anko winked and smirked seductively at her friend. Who in turn bowed her head, hiding her face behind her long dark locks of hair.

Much to Anko's surprise though, Kurenai's response wasn't a retort. "I actually think I do want the boy on my team Anko... not for the reason you're suggesting though."

Anko blinked, and blinked again. Finally she threw her head back and laughed loudly, the sound of her mirth echoing in the street. "You can keep denying it Kurenai-chan! But I know you want some _fresh meat_ just like me." Anko winked again, not letting up on her teasing. "Of course, I will expect you to share." Suddenly her tone got serious. "All jokes aside, if he's anything like me, then I really do want to meet him, Kurenai. Let me know how things go after the teams are finalized."

With that the purple haired jounin walked off in the other direction towards her house. "Later, Kurenai."

The red eyed woman watched her friend as she slowly faded out of sight, the streets too dark to see very far. "Bye, Anko." she responded finally, turning in her own direction towards her apartment.

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

Naruto found himself lying in a deep puddle of water. He groaned and slowly pushed himself up, barely noticing soaking clothes as he got to his knees, and finally managed to stand up completely, and take in his surroundings.

He was standing in a long, seemingly endless tunnel, with halls branching off into the darkness on either side of the hall. He finally realized his feet were standing in a puddle a good 5 inches deep, and he was soaked.

He stepped onto a dry part of the ground and wondered aloud, "Where the hell am I?"

A sudden harsh gust of warm wind rumbled down the hall, and Naruto figured that the exit to outside must be out there. He began to think about everything he remembered before he woke up, trying to puzzle out where he was.

"Let's see...I was in bed, trying to finally get some rest, when that bastard fox began to bother me... hmm. We had that whole conversation with it complaining like an old lady, when he said... Oh damn."

Naruto looked up to find a huge gate in front of him, over which was a small thin piece of paper that read "Seal" on it.

Two eyes gleamed behind a cage and a giant set of teeth grinned maliciously. **"I am not like an Old Lady, weakling."**

Naruto stared up at the fox that stepped forward in the cage, it's body was huge! Thankfully he didn't lose himself in fright. Crossing his arms in front of him, Naruto stood firm and asked, "What do you want, Old Lady?"

The fox took a deep breath and roared in frustration at Naruto's words. **"Call me that again, and I'll make sure to make your life a living hell. Don't think I have no influence in here just because I'm behind the seal..."**

I chill ran down Naruto's back at the words, and he decided that he'd lay off the fox for now. "What do you want, Kyuubi?"

"**Come closer. Let me have a look at you."** it spoke calmly, no hint of its previous anger in its voice.

Naruto was about to refuse, but he remembered the fox's threat just a moment ago. He took a few step closer, only to have to jump back quickly to avoid the set of claws that shot out of the cage at him.

"What the hell are you doing!" he shouted.

The fox growled. **"I want to devour you, rip your arms and legs off and listen to your pleasant screams to amuse me, gouge your eyes out with my claws and gnaw on your flesh, but I can't because of this seal. However…seeing as that still eludes me…I wanted to talk to you, about a deal. Just remember though, One hand washes another."**

Naruto nodded. "What's the deal then?"

"**Become more powerful. I won't stand for weak container. When I consider you strong enough, I will allow you to use a portion of my chakra in battle."**explained the Fox.

"Fair enough." agree Naruto. "How strong is strong enough?"

The Fox frowned for a moment...or seemed to. **"I haven't decided yet. I'll only let you use it beforehand if I think you need it to survive. You'd better hope you don't disappoint me. For now, I will give something out of good faith."**

Naruto immediately brightened up. "Ohhh! Is it a super powerful jutsu? Something that I can defeat everyone with and become Hokage? Or maybe its-"

"**SILENCE!"**roared the Fox, his jaws wide as he bellowed the order at the boy. Naruto promptly fell over at the pure force of the fox's voice. **"You will show respect to me! I am the King of the Bijuu and the elemental god of fire!"**When Naruto nodded dumbly and remained silent, it continued.**"I am giving you advice."**

Naruto pouted at the word advice. He had been thinking he would receive something physical. But he wisely remained quiet.

"**Use the Kage Bunshin skill you acquired while training. The forbidden scroll you read said it transfers things that the bunshins learn to you when you dispel them. That should mean anything they learn when practicing a technique will carry over to you. Also, another piece of advice: The berserker technique won't harm you like it does others. One of the many benefits that your pathetic body receives from jailing me is superior healing."**

The Fox stayed silent for a moment so this sank in, his tails swishing behind him. **"When you prove yourself worthy, I will give you other boons to make yourself stronger, perhaps heightened senses. In the meantime, I'll think of what I want in return."**

It glared down at Naruto for a moment before growling, **"Now, leave. I'm tired of looking at something so**_**disgusting**_**like you."** At that the fox turned away and went into the dark recesses of its cage, until it was completely hidden in the shadows.

Naruto suddenly felt a harsh shove in his mind, as his mind went blank for several moments before he found himself in his bed. He laid his head back down onto his pillow in relief. The sun had already started to rise, and he didn't feel very rested at all. He had things to do though, so he got up and headed to the shower.

By the time he headed out of his apartment, the sun had risen well over the horizon, lighting up the village clearly. Naruto walked calmly down the street and walked up Main towards the Hokage Tower. Today was the first Tuesday of the month, and he was supposed to pick up his monthly allowance. When he was younger, it was also the day that he would assign a genin team to take care of his little chores, like buying his groceries and anything else he needed, and bringing them to his apartment afterwards.

It helped a lot when he was younger and he would easily be bullied around by shop owners. Now that he was older he normally could stand up for himself, he usually did it himself, and instead saved the money he'd normally spend on a D-rank mission and instead save it up. He had quite a significant amount saved up, actually, which he kept in his own personal 'bank' under a floorboard in his apartment.

When he finally reached the Hokage Tower, Naruto immediately headed straight to where his small deposit box was, as he'd come to call it. He opened it up and pulled out the stuffed envelope, as well as a second, thinner one. That was odd. He rarely had anything but the larger envelop with his allowance delivered to him.

Overcome with curiosity, he opened it up, to find a short, neatly written letter from the Sandaime.

_Naruto,_

_If your reading this, it means I've passed on._

_No, that was just a joke. Forgive an old man for teasing. I'd like to speak with you sometime today when you have the time._

_Sandaime Hokage_

Naruto glared as he crumpled the paper as though strangling it. "What kind of weird joke was that, Old man?" he growled, before turning and beginning to head up to the Hokage's office.

He ended up waiting for a few minutes outside the door before he was admitted. The Hokage immediately brightened up when he saw Naruto.

"Ah, Naruto. How are you?" he asked.

"Good, Ojii-chan." answered Naruto as he sat down in front of the Hokage's desk.

"Hmm." that's good to hear muttered the Hokage. "I wanted to talk to you today, mainly because of what has happened since yesterday." he trailed off for a moment, looking at Naruto carefully for any sign of discomfort before continuing. "I've learned from both Iruka and...Ibiki, who has question Mizuki, that you are aware of the seal now."

Naruto nodded, looking more than a little downcast. "Hai."

"I imagine you must feel very betrayed, Naruto. After all, you have been unaware for 13 years." Not waiting for a response, the Hokage plowed on. "But I want you to know, that this was done for your own safety. I originally passed a law that said nobody was to mention the fox in hopes that you would have easier experience growing up. Certainly one of my bigger failures..." muttered the Old Man.

"You didn't mess up, Old Man!" exclaimed Naruto, trying to cheer his grandfather figure up. Okay, maybe he hadn't had the best experiences when he was little, but surely he was better off than he would have been without the law! Naruto was willing to put all his faith in the Old Man's decisions.

The Old Man looked up, shocked at the young boy's words. "I'm glad to hear that, Naruto," he professed. He frowned afterwards though. "I must ask you though, is there anything you want to talk to me about?" he asked.

Naruto thought for a moment, thinking to himself. _'I have been talking to the Kyuubi...that can't be anything good. I even came face to face with him! Should I tell him?'_Naruto looked up to see the concern in the old man's eyes. He didn't want to worry him. But this was something important...

He gave a sigh, and began to tell his story, all about everything, starting from when he first had the odd vision when he was reading to the forbidden scroll, to the voices he heard, which beforehand he had always thought were his own, darker feelings, all the way to his conversation late last night with the demon, face to face.

By the time he had ended, the Old Man was gripping the edge of his desk, his knuckles white, in fear and worry. "Naruto," he began, slowly thinking of how he wanted to ask this. "Did the Kyuubi truly not ask for anything in return?" he asked.

Naruto thought for a moment, going over the entire conversation. "He said he'd think of something. I'll tell you when I know though, Old Man!"

The Hokage sat down slowly in his chair, rubbing his temples. This was truly worrisome. "Naruto, promise me you'll keep me informed on your conversations with the Kyuubi. Understand?"

Naruto nodded quickly. "You got it!" Naruto turned to leave, but as he reached the door it flew open towards him and a young boy of around 7 years old, with an odd piece of headgear, a pale yellow T-shirt, gray shorts, and an overly long blue scarf that trailed on the floor behind him, and ultimately tripped him as he charged the Hokage, crying, "This is the end of you, old man!"

Both Naruto and the Hokage sweat-dropped as the boy fell flat on his face. The boy pushed himself up, and turned to glare at Naruto. "Isn't it a little cowardly to trip someone from behind in order to stop their attack?" he demanded.

Naruto blinked. "Huh? I didn't trip you."

"Don't lie!" shrieked the younger boy. "The least you could do is admit to it! Coward!"

Getting a little angry, Naruto took a step forward and grabbed the boy, just as a jounin came running in, "Honorable Grandson!" He saw Naruto holding the boy in his hands. "You! Put the Honorable grandson down this instant! He is the Hokage's grandson and should be respected as such!"

The boy in question crossed his arms. "That's right. I'm Konohamaru! And I will defeat the Hokage and take his place!"

Naruto was truly mad now. He was supposed to respect this dipshit? Like hell he would! He raised his fist above the boys head, and slammed it down, dropping the boy as he did so, letting him fall in a heap on the ground. "Tch. I'll see you later, Old Man." Naruto turned away and waved over his shoulder as he walked out.

It wasn't much later in the day when Naruto found the boy called Konohamaru stalking him and declaring Naruto to be his eternal rival, that Naruto would look back at his actions in the Hokage's office and wonder where he went wrong while he finished stocking his apartment with grocers, and then went out to practice the Berserker jutsu like the fox suggested, with several large groups of Kage Bunshin.

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

Back at the Hokage's office, Iruka had just turned in his team suggestions to the Hokage, who sent out the order for the prospective Jounin sensei to meet him as soon as possible in his office.

Later, 5 out of the 6 Jounin stood in front of him. Gekko Hayate, stood next to his good friend Shiranui Genma, who had a senbon in his mouth as always. To their right were Aoba Yamashiro, his own son Sarutobi Asuma, and Yuuhi Kurenai. They were only waiting for one more person. They had been doing so for the past hour.

A Lazy, "Yo!" came from the doorway, and they turned to see Hatake Kakashi walking in, giving them a small wave.

The Hokage sighed. _'About time he showed up.'_ he thought tiredly. "I've called all of you here because I recently received the information on this year's graduating genin fresh out of the academy. Since there are three genin and 6 of you, I'm sure you have all guessed that there are 18 genin total that have graduated."

The Hokage handed them each their own papers, which were their team members information files stapled together. Immediately the Jounin got together to compare teams.

"You gave me the Ino-Shika-Chou group pops?" Asuma asked around his cigarette. "Sounds interesting. I hear the Nara boy is particularly intelligent, despite what his...dismal test scores say."

The Hokage folded his hands and held them in front of his face as he leaned with his elbows on his desk. "It seems their parents really pushed Iruka to put the three together. Seeing the past success with the combination, I can't see any reason to not go along with it."

Kurenai glanced at her own team. "I have a Hyuuga, an Inuzuka, and an Aburame. So far we have two teams made up of just pure clans?" she asked no one in particular. _'I wonder who has Uzumaki. I wanted him to be on my genin team.'_ Kurenai glanced over at Genma and Hayate, who were both comparing their students. Neither of them had Uzumaki.

Aoba was frowning at his student's information, as though already deciding to fail them. Kurenai looked over at his, knowing the Uzumaki kid wasn't the best of students, but didn't see him in Aoba's team either. _'That only leaves...'_ she looked towards Kakashi, who hadn't even bothered to look at his team.

"You aren't even bothering to learn a little about your team, Kakashi?" she asked as she walked over to him.

He glanced at her with his one eye before pulling out his Icha-Icha book. "What's the point? I have the Uchiha I've requested to train, but other than that, the others are useless. I haven't found a team worth passing yet, and I doubt this one will be any different."

Kurenai inwardly bristled at his tone. _'He doesn't even care! He'll do nothing for Uzumaki!'_ Kurenai turned towards the Hokage in hopes of changing the teams. The Hokage looked up at her with a smile, as though expecting this. It wasn't unheard of anyway, for a jounin to request a team change.

"Hokage-sama," she began. "I would like to request that Uzumaki Naruto is put onto my team."

The Hokage raised an eyebrow, but only asked, "On what grounds?"

The red eyed Jounin cast a glance at Kakashi and answered, "I have invested a personal interest in the boy, and feel that I would be a more suitable sensei."

"I'm afraid I can't allow that, Kurenai." said the Third.

"What? And yet Kakashi gets the Uchiha he's been wanting so badly?" exclaimed Kurenai. "I know for a fact that he's been asking for the Uchiha for a long time now, and yet I can't train the one student I'm interested in?"

The Hokage just looked at Kurenai quietly, as though considering the possibility. Finally he sighed and glanced over at Kakashi. "May I have Naruto-kun's information please, Kakashi?"

Kakashi nodded, and taking his eyes from his book, handed the paper over to the Hokage, who in turn gave it to Kurenai.

"As you can see Kurenai, his skills aren't geared towards your specialties. Naruto is much better off learning from Kakashi, as he is more ninjutsu based as well." explained the Hokage. "On another note, Naruto is...difficult, at times. You being a rookie Jounin, and still so young at that, you might not be ready to handle the whirlwind that is Naruto."

Kakashi decided to add his own two cents in. "You might have wonderful chakra control that you could teach him, but that's not something I can't teach him as well. Besides, who says the brat is even ready to be a genin?"

Kurenai's eyes flashed dangerously as she stalked over to the silver haired Jounin. "Fine. I may be an inexperienced rookie Jounin, and you may think that I can't handle the boy, but I'll tell you one thing Kakashi. If you mistreat that boy in _any way_ Kakashi, In any way _at all,_there'll be hell to pay." she warned.

"Enough!" the Hokage slammed his hands down on his desk, getting everyone's attention. "The teams remain the same for Kurenai, Kakashi and Asuma." He turned towards the other three Jounin sensei. "Now, do any of you have any objections with your teams?" he asked.

When none of them spoke, the Hokage sat back with a sigh. "Then the teams will remain as Iruka put them. Tomorrow the genin will have their explanatory meeting and you will be meeting them for the first time. Make sure you have an appropriate test ready to make sure that they are ready to be genin of Konoha. That is all."

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**End of CHAPTER 3**

I agonized over the teams on whether to change them or not. In the end, I chose the route that takes longer to come into fruition, but has a much more engaging story later on. The other option was of course putting Naruto on Kurenai's team, but that...well, if I explain my reasons why I did it, I'll be ruining some things. So whatever. One thing to keep in mind though: Team 7 ends up a failed team in canon...

Yay! Alright, so I know so far a lot doesn't seem to have changed from canon yet but have patience. I just need to make _tiny_little changes right now, and in a chapter or two it will blow up in our faces. So stick with me here D. I'm just planting a lot of catalysts.


	4. A second sensei?

Disclaimer– "I love being a writer. what I can't stand is the paperwork." -Peter De Vries

The Maelstrom of Konoha**-1.04**

**The Tale of a Young Boy's Ascent into the Legends**

_I'd like to use this space to simply thank people for reading, and some for reviewing, this story. I'm having fun writing it, and I hope everyone who looks at this story enjoys reading it. As you read this chapter, please keep in mind that this story is not anti-Kakashi. I'm just emphasizing his favoritism. Everyone always has a chance to redeem themselves. -Cantor_

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The next morning Naruto was even more excited than usual. Today was the day he went back to the academy to attend a meeting for the new genin. He hurried about his usual morning routine quicker than normal and hurried out the door, practically racing down the street towards the Academy.

He entered the room that the graduated students were meeting in – Iruka's old classroom, a little earlier than he was supposed to, and he looked at the genin already there.

Sasuke-teme was already there, brooding as he looked out the window to his left, not even acknowledging three fan girls that were trying to get his attention, Ami and her two friends.

Shino was in the back, talking to one of his bugs, just as Kiba, who was sitting next to him was talking to his companion, Akamaru.

Hinata sat in the far left corner of the class alone, and was carefully avoiding eye contact with Naruto. In front of her was Daichi, who grinned as he twirled a kunai on his finger while he talked with his two friends.

Shikamaru and Chouji walked in just as Naruto sat down, the lazier of the two commenting that the meeting was for kids who have passed, but he fell silent when Naruto showed him his forehead protector.

Naruto rested his head and tried to ignore the two new arrivals, not even looking up. most of them gathered in his seat, but he could hear two coming closer to him. Abruptly he was shoved out of his seat, and he looked up to find Sakura and Ino, both not even looking at him, hurrying to sit with Sasuke.

His seat taken, Naruto turned around and found an empty seat up in the back of the class, near Hinata. He grinned at her as he sat down, but she quickly turned away, leaving him to wonder what he'd even done to the girl.

Finally Iruka came in, and everyone who had been talking immediately quieted down. The scarred Chuunin turned to face them all with a smile as he began a long winded speech about responsibility and the pride of a shinobi.

finally he got to the interesting part. "All of you, as new genin, will be paired up with a Jounin sensei, as well as 2 teammates, that will make up a 4 man cell. These teams will complete missions together for the majority of your shinobi careers. As you raise through the ranks, your Jounin sensei will teach you new skills that will aid you in your missions."

During all of this, all the genin were wondering who they were going to be teamed up with. For Naruto, he didn't really mind being with anyone but Sasuke, and he'd really like Sakura, or maybe Ino.

"I'll now announce your teams as well as your Jounin sensei, who will be here shortly to take you to your first team meeting." announced Iruka.

"Team 2, under Shiranui Genma..." began Iruka. Naruto sat quietly listening for his name. Iruka had already called our Teams 2, 3, and 5, and he was just reaching the next.

"Team 7, under Hatake Kakashi." Naruto perked up at this. _'That name sounds familiar...'_"Haruno Sakura, Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke."

After Naruto's name was called, he gave a slight cheer, since he was teamed up with his crush. Unfortunately he was also teamed up with Sasuke-teme. He'd have to make the best of it though.

"Team 8, under Yuuhi Kurenai. Aburame Shino, Hyuuga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba." Naruto gave another twitch at the second familiar name. This one he remembered well though. Who wouldn't remember that beautiful red-eyed woman? Even if she was scary and angry... Naruto's thoughts turned towards Sakura when she was angry. Maybe just all women were scary when they were angry? That was something to investigate...

"Team 10, under Sarutobi Asuma. Akimichi Chouji, Nara Shikamaru, Yamanaka Ino."

Iruka sat down in his desk, waiting for the Jounin sensei to arrive. Finally, after about 10 minutes, there was a knock at the door. Iruka got up and opened it, and 5 Jounin flowed in.

One of them, with a senbon in his mouth, turned towards the class and called out, "Team 2, with me"

Another, with dark sun glasses and a bandanna, called out, "Team 3 I am Aoba Yamashiro. Follow me"

The third Jounin, who had a sword strapped to his back, coughed as he stepped forward. "Team 5, with me."

Next was the red-eyed woman, Yuuhi Kurenai. She saw Naruto and smiled, waving towards him. Many of the remaining genin looked at Naruto oddly. How did they know each other? They weren't given much of a chance to ask any questions though as the woman called out, "Team 8, come with me."

Finally, the last Jounin, a tall broad shouldered man with a beard and a cigarette hanging from his mouth, called out, "Team 10, meet me outside."

With that, the only genin left in the room were Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto. Sakura was busy trying to get Sasuke's attention while brushing off Naruto, while Naruto was busy trying to get her attention, while Sasuke just ignored them both. It was an odd interaction.

After an hour, Iruka got up with an apologetic look towards the three genin, he announced that he had to leave, and reminded them to lock the door on the way out.

2 more torturous hours passed until Kakashi walked in, only to be hit on the head with a chalky eraser, and to see his three genin in the middle of an annoying, loud, argument with little meaning behind it.

"Hmmm. My first impression of you is... I don't like you." the man stated simply. "meet me up on the roof."

The genin glared at the spot the Jounin had been standing in before disappearing in a puff of smoke. They quickly went up to the roof to meet their new sensei.

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Yuuhi Kurenai lead the way to her team's training grounds silently. Inside though, she was still concerned for the young blue eyed genin she had taken an interest in. For some reason she didn't trust Kakashi with the boy.

When she finally reached training grounds 8 she turned around to get a good look at her genin team for the first time. She hadn't been paying much attention to them since she'd picked them up from the academy, as her mind was preoccupied, but now she had to put Uzumaki Naruto out of her head and work with the genin she had instead.

"Alright. Before we start, we should all tell each other about ourselves. I'll start. My name is Yuuhi Kurenai, I enjoy genjutsu, which I'm known well for my mastery of, and I love to create new genjutsu and play mind games. I dislike simple minded people who don't bother to see the finer details of...matters." She paused as an image of Naruto flashed n her mind. "My dream, is to be recognized as one of, if not the best, genjutsu user in the shinobi nations.

Little did she know that as she had paused earlier, the young kunoichi on her team had the same image of Uzumaki Naruto flash through her own mind as well. _'Naruto-kun...'_

One of her genin stepped forward and looked silently at her in askance. Kurenai nodded, telling him to go ahead.

"I am known as Aburame Shino. I enjoy reason and logic, as well as order and structure. I pride myself on being able to draw detailed, accurate, conclusions on matters quickly I also enjoy cataloging new species of bugs in Konoha. I don't like people who are illogical or unnecessarily loud. As one writer once said, 'The habit of common and continuous speech is a symptom of mental deficiency.' Dreams are illogical."

Kurenai nodded. The genin's introduction was to be expected from an Aburame. Next was the Inuzuka Kiba, a genin of slightly shorter stature than Shino, but more broad shouldered. He had the typical twin Inuzuka clan tattoos on his face, in the shape of fangs that ran from just below his eyes down to his jaw line. He wore a cocky grin as he stepped up to speak.

"I'm Inuzuka Kiba. I like..." for a second Kurenai could've sworn his eyes glanced in Hinata's direction, but she dismissed it as her imagination. "Akamaru, and training! I dislike overly strong smells. My dream...is to be the strongest Inuzuka!" he finished.

That left the kunoichi on her team. Kurenai looked over to the girl and noticed that she wouldn't meet her eyes, and she was playing with her finger.

"I'm H-Hyuuga Hinata," she stuttered horribly. "I l-like..." The girl trailed off here, as she blushed, but continued on, evenly more shakily than before, "I admire a p-person who is very s-strong and kind, but few people r-realize it. He inspires me to be s-strong. I d-dislike p-people who judge others, and my d-dream is to make my f-f-father proud."

Kurenai gave the shy girl a small comforting smile, all while wondering who had caught the girl's eye and whether the boy was among the genin team and he was making her shy or not. She also didn't fail to notice how Hinata had stuttered a bit more on the word father than others. Odd to see a Hyuuga, normally a very proud clan, to have such a shy person in their number.

Dismissing the line of thought, Kurenai focused on the task at hand – the real genin exam. "Now that we've gotten past the introductions, it is time for me to explain what we'll be doing today." She smiled as all the genin visibly straightened and gave her their undivided attention. "I'm going to see if you truly ARE ready to be genin, by testing you. If you fail, you will be sent back to the academy for another year."

Kiba shout out, "What! We already passed a test in the academy to get here!"

"Yes. you passed a test to see if you had what it takes to be a genin. I will decide if you will stay one. Keep in mind that this test has a high failure rate, and all genin teams will be receiving a similar one from their new Jounin sensei." the red-eyed Jounin watched as different emotions played across each genin's face before all of them settled on one thing – determination.

"Since this team has been formed on the basis of information gathering – a Hyuuga with byakuugan, a Inuzuka with a superior sense of smell, and an Aburame with bugs to scout with, I will be giving you a test similar to a mission you might receive from the Hokage one day." explained Kurenai. Quickly she tried to think of a suitable task. One that would require them to seek out information thats not too available and act on it. Suddenly, she found a way to settle her worries about Uzumaki Naruto.

"You mission," she said with a nearly unnoticeable smirk, "is to find one of the Jounin sensei of Konoha. His name is Hatake Kakashi, and has silver hair and one eye covered. You will be finding as much as you can about him and his team. The most important things are: Where he is testing his team, what his test is, and how he handles his team. You'll analyze as much as you can without them knowing of this and report back to me." Kurenai gave them all a smile, and told them to start.

_'Now I just need to wait and see.'_

She turned around to see Anko sitting in a tree, twirling a kunai. She was smirking as she looked down at her red-eyed friend. "Already sending your team of babies to spy over your..._interest_?"

Kurenai sent a glare to her friend, "it's not like that and you know it." she sighed as she continued, "I guess you already know how the teams turned out?"

Anko nodded and jumped down out of the tree. "I heard from Iruka, the teacher at the academy. He's actually kind of cute, I've noticed. Still, I need to check out the man you seem to be so interested in, Kurenai-chan! Who knows, maybe I'll have to have my own taste..." she laughed.

Kurenai ignored the teasing. It's not like she'd get Anko to stop. "Well, how about we go watch Kakashi's teams ourselves? I'm going to need to make sure that what my genin team reports back is accurate, anyway."

Anko smirked again as she put her kunai back in its holster. "Sure. I want to see this guy you've got your panties in a bunch for anyway. We can take our time to get there though."

"Why do you say that?"

"Kakashi is always late."

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"So, I think we should all try and get to know each other a little bit. Why don't you all introduce yourselves? You know, likes, dislikes, dreams, stuff like that." asked Kakashi.

The pink haired genin hesitantly spoke up. "Um, why don't you start, sensei?"

Kakashi blinked. "Alright... Let's see, My name is Hatake Kakashi. My likes...hmmm. My dislikes ummm, maybe some other time. My dreams? Well...thats really none of your business. I have lots of hobbies. Okay, now you, pinky."

Sakura sweat-dropped at the lack of information they got from their new sensei, but began her own introduction anyway. "My name is Haruno Sakura! My likes are..." she looks over at Sasuke and giggles. "My dislikes are..." she glares at Naruto. "And my dream..." she looks over at Sasuke again and squeals.

Kakashi nodded, hiding his disappointment. "Okay, you next, the broody one."

Sasuke glared at Kakshi for the nickname he received, but decided to get this over with. "Uchiha Sasuke. I don't have many likes, but there are a lot of things I don't like. My dream...or more of an ambition, is to revive my clan, and to kill a certain man."

Kakashi grinned at the Uchiha's answer. It was predictable, but noteworthy. "Good. Now you, the weird kid."

Scowling at Kakashi, Naruto crossed his arms and said simply. "Uzumaki Naruto. I like Ramen, I hate stupid villagers, and I'm going to become Hokage."

'_I have an idiot who thinks he can become Hokage. I hear he's a bit creative on the spot at least. A rabid fangirl with no field skills at all, and I have the broody Uchiha, but at least he might actually amount to something.'_Kakashi sighed as he thought this, and decided he'd give his team his typical bell test. "Alright, meet me at training grounds 7. We're going to have a test to see if you're really ready to be genin or not."

The three genin sat stupidly as the man disappeared again in a puff of smoke. "I thought we already passed the test to be genin?" Naruto asked his two new teammates.

Sasuke just humphed and started heading towards the training grounds, while Sakura followed, not even paying attention to Naruto.

When they had finally reached the training grounds, they found their sensei waiting for them on top of one of the training posts. "Yo!" he greeted.

The three genin just stood there, waiting for their weird sensei to explain the test.

The older man took our two bells. "These are your objective. You will have," he took out an alarm clock and put it on top of the post next to him. "2 hours to get them from me."

"But sensei," Sakura called out, "there's three of us, and only two bells!"

Kakashi nodded. "Exactly. Two bells for two people. The person who doesn't get the bell, will be sent back to the academy and repeat another year."

At these words, determination filled Naruto. There was NO way he was getting sent back to the academy! He was already a year behind, and he wasn't about to end up being two years behind! He eyed his two teammates, secretly hoping that it was the Uchiha that bit the dust. A team with just him and Sakura – well, excluding the Jounin for the moment – would be a dream come true...except without the dating part. But he'd settle for a team with just him and Sakura.

Sakura was clearly concerned, biting her lip as she eyed the bells. She glanced at Sasuke. There was no way she could get a bell over him. He was the rookie of the year! That left... Naruto. She could beat Naruto. Besides, if it was Naruto that was gone, then she's have Sasuke-kun to herself on the team!

Sasuke just folded his arms. _'I wish it was only one bell. Then I wouldn't be stuck with either of these idiots.'_He thought about it for a moment before coming up with a solution. He'd just have to take both bells for himself.

Kakashi watched the emotions flicker across each student's face, and nearly laughed at how easily he deceived them. He held up his hand above his head and bringing it down sharply, shouted, "Begin!"

All three genin hurried away to hide themselves, waiting for an opportunity. '_Hmm. Seems they at least understand the basics. Wait-'_Kakashi turned to see that Naruto was charging at him, shouting "Kage bunshin no Jutsu!"

Kakashi's eyes widened at the student's ability to use such a high level jutsu. His shock faded quickly though and the Jounin fell into a stance, ready to fend off the clones.

4 clones came in at Kakashi, 2 of them sliding from either side, aiming to slam their heels into his knee caps. A painful tactic. He jumped up above either of them and managed to whip his leg back into one of the clone's neck to his right, while letting the other on his left slide under him. He landed on his knee, directly on top of the clone's stomach. It gasped in pain and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Getting up quickly, Kakashi used smoke as cover from the other 2 clones that were charging him. One had pulled out three kunai and threw them at him as he got up, while the other just charged with its fist pulled back.

He grabbed the fist that flew by his face and yanked the clone in front of himself to block the three kunai, and then quickly jumped through the smoke that appeared to deal with the fourth clone.

With all the clones finished, Kakashi calmly turned around to face the blue eyed genin. "Is that all you have? And here I thought you'd have some skill at least, if you could use the Kage bunshin. Guess I was wrong."

Naruto bristled with anger and was about to charge in again, forgetting his reason for using Kage bunshin, when the Jounin reached into his pouch. Instead Naruto stopped and got into a ready position. _'Is he pulling out weapon?'_

Except Kakashi wasn't pulling out any weapon. Instead he pulled out an orange book. He flipped it open to a page and said, "I'm ready when you are. I figured I might as well read if I'm not going to have a challenge."

Naruto roared in fury and charged Kakashi. The Jounin sighed at the one track mind of the genin. He grabbed both arms of the genin and held him there as he looked into his eyes. "I would think by now that you'd understand; you can't beat me so easily."

To his surprise, the genin just smirked. Kakashi's eyes widened as he heard the distinct sound of someone drawing kunai from behind him. When he tried to jump away, the genin simply held onto his arms, much as he had been doing before.

Three kunai impaled themselves into his back, and he let out a gasp of pain, but just as Naruto thought he'd gotten a hit on the Jounin, the man puffed into a log, leaving Naruto to curse by himself in the field.

Kakashi watched the genin begin to look for him, finally heading off in the opposite direction. That had been an interesting idea, and against another genin probably would have worked, but Kakashi had known pretty quickly what he'd intended.

He turned and decided to see what the other brats were up to.

Naruto hit a nearby tree. "Damn it! I wasn't fast enough."

"**Brat. Get a bell and I'll consider giving you a little gift. I'll give you another if you manage to hit him a bit..."** growled the Kyuubi, who was thoroughly pissed at the Jounin's insult to Naruto with the book.

Naruto grinned at the foxes offer, already coming up with a new idea to get the Jounin. "Heh. I need to find Sasuke-teme and Sakura."

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Sasuke frowned as he heard Sakura's scream. That made two of his teammates that their jounin sensei had beat. _'Weak idiots.'_He thought.

He decided that the older ninja was simply going after each one of them. That meant that Sasuke should just let the Jounin find him in an area that he wanted to fight at...

He chose a small clearing that left little room for maneuvering. Sasuke already knew that the Jounin was faster than he was, so he had to make it a small area so the Jounin wouldn't be able to move much.

Abruptly he felt a presence directly behind him.

"It seems you're the last one." said Kakashi.

"You may have taken out those two, but I'm not like them." said Sasuke, cockily, not even bothering to face the Jounin.

Sasuke had barely finished speaking when he turned around and blew a huge Katon Gokakyu no jutsu at the Jounin, whom barely managed to use kawarimi to get out of the blast.

Sasuke turned again and closed in on the recovering Jounin, determined to get both bells.

Kurenai and Anko watched the genin of team 7 slowly fail their jounin's test.

"Looks like Kakashi isn't going easy on them – even with the Uchiha he wanted so badly." muttered Anko.

Kurenai sighed. "Well. It's not over yet. I hear Kakashi usually gives them another chance after the times up. Besides, it looks like both the Uchiha and Naruto each had their own little strategies to actually make Kakashi work a little."

Anko nodded. "I'm surprised at the brat's Kage Bunshin. He must have some huge chakra reserves." she glanced at Kurenai. "You really did pick an interesting one."

Both women watched a Naruto began to set up several traps, covering the clearing he was in – which was smaller than what the Uchiha had chosen to battle Kakashi in. When he was done, Naruto quickly sent two clones off, telling them each to find Sasuke and Sakura and bring them here.

"Did he figure out he needs to use teamwork?" asked Kurenai.

Anko, curious, sent her own clones after Naruto's. After a few moments, she chuckled. "Doesn't seem like it. He told them to come to the clearing, but he didn't say anything about team work. It won't matter though. The Uchiha refused. The Haruno said she'd come if Sasuke did."

Kurenai frowned at team 7's actions so far. Every year there was one team that ended up this way – one with the top of the class and the lowest in the class, as well as a fangirl. In all the years, there has never been a successful team made this way. Even the sannin, well known and powerful ninja in their own right, ended up with a nuke-nin. She was broken out of her thoughts when Anko nudged her with her elbow.

"Looks like the brat's really thought this out." she said, pointing at the blond haired genin – who was hiding several clones in the trees surrounding the area. "We're going to have to be careful his clones don't see us."

Kurenai nodded, and she and her friend both backed off a bit as they saw the real Naruto lead Kakashi into the clearing. The Jounin was still reading his book, looking very nonchalant as he blocked all of Naruto's punches and kicks.

"Time is running out," remarked Kakashi, his eyes not even leaving the book. "And I honestly doubt you're going to miraculously become a better shinobi suddenly."

Naruto smirked, something Kakashi barely noticed. "Then try this!" he yelled, and summoned several shadow clones to charge at Kakashi, who just sighed at the same repetitive move.

"Doing the same thing over and over again won't yield different results. I'm beginning to wonder what I can do to get through that abnormally thick skull of yo-"

Kakashi was cut off as he was dog-piled by the clones, one arm just holding his book above the sea of clones as if he was keeping it from harm.

At the same time, the clones Naruto had hiding around the clearing set off the traps, which shot kunai and shuriken at the pile, which abruptly dispelled, and in the process knocked the orange book out of Kakashi's hand.

The seasoned Jounin had to make a very difficult choice then. One of his most difficult choices ever. Does he save himself from harm, or does he reach down and save his book from harm, while risking his own well-being?

He dived down on top of his book and managed to quickly use Doton: Doryuuheki to block the kunai from harm. Those moments however, were all Naruto needed to go through the seals for the Beruseruku no jutsu (Berserker Technique) he'd learned from the forbidden scroll.

As he finished, he could feel his own strength increase dramatically – his own energy seemed to boost as though he just eaten several soldier pills. Naruto crouched down, and with a burst of speed, charged at the earth wall in front of Kakashi and smashed through it with his fist.

Kakashi had a single moment of shock as the earth wall burst apart, the shards of hardened mud blowing past him with the force of an explosion, before he was slammed backwards into a tree by Naruto.

Kakashi quickly recovered though and jumped up to avoid Naruto's follow up kick. He put his Icha Icha book into his pouch and got serious as Naruto summoned several clones. Now was not the time to mess around.

Suddenly, the alarm rang in the distance.

Hiding his relief, Kakashi just announced loudly, "Alright! Time is up. Meet me at the training posts from before." _'I'm going to have to tell the Hokage about him using that jutsu. So far he's shown that he knows two techniques from that scroll.'_

As the genin team arrived, Kakashi immediately tied Naruto up, something which Kurenai and Anko, who were still watching from a distance, became angry over since Sakura had clearly done worse.

"Well, it seems none of you have to worry about going back to the Academy" he announced, much to the genin's surprise. "All three of you should quit being ninja's."

"What!" shouted Naruto.

"You heard me." said Kakashi coldly. "In case you haven't noticed, I still have the bells. Not to mention that none of you understood the true purpose of this test."

"The true purpose?" Sakura asked. "You wanted us to get the bells?"

Sasuke was just quiet, but on the inside he was fuming. _'I knew I'd be held back by these useless idiots.'_

Naruto groaned from where he was tied up. "Give us another chance, Kakashi-sensei!"

Kakashi was silent for a moment. "Fine. I'll let Sasuke and Sakura eat some lunch which I've brought. But Naruto will not be eating."

"What? Why?"

"Don't question me!" yelled Kakashi. "I'm the rule here. If anyone gives any food to Naruto, they immediately fail. We'll continue again in 20 minutes."

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Kurenai and Anko watched from the trees as the two genin on team 7 ate, both ignoring their team mate tied to the post.

Sakura would look up every once in a while at Sasuke, as though checking to see what he was doing. The Uchiha just ignored both his hungry team mate and the girl, just eating as he normally would.

Anko frowned, an odd expression to see on her normally smirking face. "They're not going to pass. The brats have no sense of team work, they'll never figure out that they're supposed to give food to Naruto." she said.

After a moment, Kurenai shook her head. "No, they will. I'm going to make sure of it."

Anko's eyebrows rose as she looked at her friend, but seeing what Kurenai planned, a mischievous smile appeared on her face. "Ah, Kure-chan, you're so _devious._"

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

Shino, Hinata, and Kiba all watched from another end of the field as team 7 went through their entire test, with Shino's bugs giving the smaller details and him reporting them to the rest of the team.

Hinata didn't have to use her Byakuugan as they knew where the team was and they could see them clearly, and Kiba and Akamaru's part had already finished as they were the ones who had tracked team 7 down with their sense of smell.

"Hah. So team 7's only strong member is Sasuke. Other than that they're not much." laughed Kiba.

Shino glanced at his new team mate, questioning how accurate Kiba's observation was – especially with what his bugs said Naruto had done.

Sasuke and Sakura had both been ignoring Naruto's pleas for food for a while when suddenly Sasuke turned around and offered his food to Naruto. When Naruto questioned him, he only said, "We're a team."

Sakura, always wanting to get the approval of her crush, immediately copied Sasuke, and offered her food to Naruto.

"Sasuke-kun is right. You need to eat too, Naruto."

During this whole time, Shino got another report from his bugs, and he stiffened. Something which both Kiba and Hinata noticed.

"What's up?" asked Kiba.

Shino was silent for a moment. "It's nothing important. It seems we're not the only people watching this match though. Kurenai-sensei and someone else are here. They're probably checking on us."

Kiba and Hinata nodded, accepting his answer, before turning back to see Kakashi yelling at his genin before telling them they pass, and explaining the importance of teamwork. Shino, however, was lost in thought._'Why would Kurenai-sensei be using a genjutsu?'_

"Come on. We still have to report to Kurenai-sensei and finish this test she gave us!" Kiba said as he jumped off back to their own training grounds.

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

Naruto slurped down another bowl of Ramen with a sigh. Ichiraku's was the best! He leaned back and patted his stomach, pretending to be full.

Not that he really was though.

"Another bowl, miso-ramen!" he ordered.

"Coming right up!" called the old man at the ramen stand. His daughter just giggled as she took Naruto's empty bowl and added it to a towering stack by the sink.

"You eat so much Ramen, Naruto, it's amazing you aren't fat!" she laughed.

Naruto grinned at her in response, all while acting up a bit for another laugh. He secretly enjoyed the sound of her laugh. Something about it was...pleasant.

On the inside though, another conversation was going on

"**I'll admit, whelp. You surprised me. I didn't actually think a weakling like you would manage to hit the bastard."**laughed the fox.

Naruto smirked, ignoring the weakling comment. "_I think you owe me a few gifts._" he said in his mind.

The fox's snort was so loud in his head that Naruto looked around to see if anyone nearby had heard it. He was sitting at Ichiraku's, celebrating his victory earlier. Luckily, nobody seemed to be looking at him strangely.

"**I did promise I'd give you two gifts, one for getting the bell, and another for hitting the Jounin. If I remember correctly, you only hit him, but never got a bell yourself."** said the fox.

Naruto growled over his ramen. Just like a kitsune to weasel its way out of a deal like that. "Fine. What's this gift then?"

"**Tonight, when you sleep, we'll talk. Right now, you're going to have company."**

Naruto blinked when his conversation with the fox was cut short and he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around to see someone unexpected.

"You!"

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

Kurenai and Anko arrived back at training ground 8 shortly before Kiba, Shino, and Hinata. Settling into a position that looked as though they had never left, Kurenai introduced them to her friend Anko, and asked for a report.

"Well?" she asked.

Kiba and Shino both took a step forward, ready to tell her what they heard, but paused when they noticed each other. Kurenai sighed audibly, knowing that this little struggle of power was something that she had to deal with.

Finally, Shino stepped back, allowing Kiba to go on. Whether it was a sign of giving in, or just a sign of being more mature, Kurenai didn't know, but she flashed Shino a grateful smile.

"Well...we located team 7 along with Hatake Kakashi back at the academy pretty easily, with my sense of smell" bragged Kiba. "We followed them to training ground 7, where he gave them what he called a Bell test. He pulled out 2 bells and told the team whoever can get a bell from him passes, the one who doesn't get a bell fails."

"Good work." said Kurenai. "But that wasn't much of an analysis of his test. Is that all you've found out?" she asked.

Kiba stood there for a moment, silently wondering what he'd missed, when Shino stepped forward.

"Kakashi clearly tried to divide the team by only having 2 bells in the test while there are three people in the team. The true purpose of the test is to make sure that they're willing to sacrifice their pride and work together to get the bells as a team, not as individuals. They fail the test if they work to get the bells for themselves because that shows their willing to sacrifice their teammates for their own success."

Kurenai blinked at Shino's...thorough analysis. He clearly had a sharp mind. "Alright...Very good team 8. We will start our first missions together tomorrow. You're dismissed until then."

After the three had each left, Anko and Kurenai both started to walk in their own direction into the village.

"So I'll admit, I was impressed with that Uzumaki brat," Anko told her friend. "I can't believe he knows Kage bunshin, and the Berserker technique. They're both pretty chakra demanding. In fact I'm amazed at how little the Berserker technique seemed to affect him."

Kurenai nodded absently, as she also thought of the blue eyed genin. "I'm glad his team made genin though."

"Yeah, all thanks to you!" laughed Anko.

Kurenai smiled. "Perhaps. I'm fairly confident that Naruto would have fed either of his team mates had their positions been reversed."

"Oh, well here's your chance to find out for yourself!" exclaimed Anko. Leaning in, she whispered in her friend's ear, "and your chance for a date with your little crush..."

She pushed Kurenai off to the side on the street, and Kurenai reached out blindly to grab hold of something to steady herself, unwittingly grabbing Uzumaki Naruto's shoulder.

The genin turned around quickly, his eyes wide. "You!" he said. The boy blushed suddenly and scratched the back of his head. "I mean, um, hi, Kurenai-san."

Kurenai shot Anko a glare at the awkwardness she had caused, but Anko merely smiled and walked into the Ramen stand and ordered a bowl, ready to watch the spectacle.

The red-eyed genin steadied her emotions and shot a warm smile down at the boy. "Hello, Naruto. Kurenai-sensei is fine, by the way. I just wanted to congratulate you on becoming a genin."

"Thanks, Kurenai-sensei." said Naruto with a grin. "It was tough, but my team managed to pass Kakashi's test!"

"Oh," asked Kurenai. "And what was Kakashi's test this time?"

"We had to get these bells from the jerk. But there were only 2 of them and it tricked us. We thought that no matter what one of us would fail, so we all worked against each other, but Kakashi-sensei wanted us to work as a team."

Kurenai faked a bit of shock and over exaggerated her interest. "And you guys managed to get the bells?"

Naruto frowned and prodded his Ramen with his chopsticks. "No. In the end Kakashi tied me to the stump because he thought I did the worst on the team. He gave Sakura and Sasuke lunch and said I wasn't allowed to eat. Eventually for whatever reason Sasuke-teme decided to let me eat, since we're a team. That's when Kakashi allowed us to pass. He said we should all thank Sasuke-teme."

Anko looked over and could see Kurenai's fists clench. _'She's probably still mad that Naruto was the one to get tied up, when he was the only one to actually hit Kakashi, as well as the fact that her genjutsu ended up making Kakashi like Sasuke even more.'_

Deciding to step in, Anko put her arm around Naruto, who turned quickly to see her lick her lips, something Naruto found oddly attractive. "I'm Anko, Kurenai's friend. I can't believe you passed, Naruto-kun." she purred. "You must be an awfully strong genin." she scooted her stool just a bit closer to Naruto, who was starting to become a little uncomfortable, especially when he realized that her proximity gave him a wonderful...view.

Luckily, he was saved by Kurenai, "Anko, I think Naruto might need a little room."

Anko pouted. "Aw, you're no fun, Kurenai-chan! I was just having a bit of fun." But she moved back nonetheless.

"Naruto, I also came here because I want to give you an offer." said Kurenai. Seeing that she had Naruto's full attention, she smiled as she continued. "This isn't typically done, normally Jounin sensei only teach the three genin on their team, but I've decided that I want to help you learn chakra control. If you want to, I'd like you to keep this to yourself for now, as I'm sure that Kakashi would be a little angry at the whole idea. What do you say?"

Naruto thought for a moment, his eyes glazing over as he stared down at the counter. Anko and Kurenai shared a look over his head as he thought. Finally, Naruto looked back up with a big grin.

"Sure, Kurenai!" he said. "I'd love to!"

"Good. I'll see you tomorrow after your team's first missions. Meet me at training grounds 8." she said. "Oh and Naruto, it's Kurenai-_sensei_" said Kurenai. "I won't be helping someone who's disrespectful."

Naruto gulped at the cold look the red-eyed Jounin shot him as he was quickly reminded of how scary she was when she was angry. "Hai, Kurenai-sensei."

Later that day, after reiterating his story to ever person her could find, including Ayame, Old Man Ichiraku, and Iruka, the blue-eyed genin slowly prepared for bed. He needed to wake up earlier than normal now that he was on a team, being trained by a second Jounin, as well as practicing his own skills himself with Kage bunshin. He _still_ hadn't figured anything out with the immolation technique he'd copied down, and he'd need to use the Kage bunshin more to figure it out.

When he'd finally laid down in his bed, he was almost immediately pulled into his own mind to see the Kyuubi.

He glanced around at his dripping wet surroundings and wet clothes, and willed his clothes to be dry. Surprisingly, it worked. Not really stopping to think of the implications, Naruto walked down the hall to where he knew the fox would be.

"**So the weakling arrives." sneered the fox. "Ready for your winnings?"**

Naruto grinned and nodded. "That is if the furball actually keeps its promises." he sighed dramatically. "I suppose we'll just have to hope."

The Fox roared indignantly. **"I always keep my promises whelp! And one day, I swear, I'll make you beg me for mercy!"**

Naruto smirked. "Alright, alright. Now, what's this gift you were talking about?"

Eyeing him quietly, the fox began to explain. **"I'm going to allow you to use Kitsune eyes. They're-"**

"Awesome!" shouted Naruto. "You're going to give me a doujutsu? You can do that? Really?"

"**SILENCE!"**the fox roared, pacing within it's cage. **"No, I am not giving you a doujutsu. I am giving you the ability to use Kitsune Eyes. They aren't inherited like a blood limit, ad they're not so specialized like the Sharingan or Byakuugan which you are familiar with."**

The fox paused for a moment to let the information sink in.**"What they will do however, is amplify your killing intent to a crippling level, similar to my own. They will also amplify whatever your current genjutsu abilities are, as Kitsune are naturally gifted in illusions."**

Seeing the astounded look on the boy's face, the fox paused again.**"However, seeing as your genjutsu is dismal at the moment...it won't amount to much."**

Naruto just stood there, his mouth agape, as the fox went on. **"You will activate them by pushing some of my chakra to your eyes. When you use a lot of my chakra, the eyes will naturally come to you."**

Naruto, finally gaining his voice and gathering his thoughts, asked, **"But how do I use your chakra?"**

The fox gave a barking laugh. **"Not my problem. I never agreed to teach you how to use it. You'll have to figure it out on your own, or else make another deal with me."**

Angered at being tricked, Naruto kicked a large puddle of water at the fox, only to be amazed as it turned into a huge wave and smacked into the fox, leaving it soaking wet. '_What the hell?'_he thought, ignoring the fox's screaming.

Putting the weird puddle aside, Naruto thought about the deal for a moment. _'What could the fox want? I'll probably be able to find this out fine on my own. I might as well see what it wants though, just to be sure.'_

"Fine. What would I have to do for you to tell me?" he asked.

The fox smirked, or as near to a smirk as it could with its jaws. **"See that seal? Tear a portion of it off."**

Naruto didn't even have to think about it. "No deal." he said. "I'll find out how to use your chakra on my own, thanks."

The fox's only answer was mirthless laughter as Naruto left his mind.

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

Meanwhile the Hokage was just beginning to hold a meeting with the Jounin of the various rookie genin teams.

"Come in." he answered when he heard a knock on his door, which opened to reveal the Jounin, including Kakashi, surprisingly.

"Ah, I see you're all here," he said around his pipe. "So then, ignoring Kakashi's rare punctuality, let's begin. Genma, why don't you begin?" asked the Hokage.

Genma stepped forward. "Team 2 failed, Hokage-sama."

Then Aoba. "Team 3, passed"

Hayate was next. "Team 5 also fails, Hokage-sama."

Kakashi stepped forward, eyes on his book. "Team 7..." he trails off, knowing he was building a bit of suspense. "...Passes."

Surprised shouts of "What?" echoed in the room at Kakashi's answer. "You've never passed a team before, Kakashi!" remarked Genma. Asuma took out another cigarette. "This must be some type of miracle."

The Hokage chuckled, agreeing that this was an odd occurrence. He looked over at Kurenai, whom he knew interfered with Kakashi's test. He had been watching with his crystal, after all. She was just standing there with a wide smile, probably happy that the boy she wanted to train ended up making it to genin.

The old man cleared his throat, and the jounins quieted down immediately. "It is truly good news to hear that you've passed a team, Kakashi. However, I believe we need to move along."

At this, Kurenai stepped forward, still smiling. "Team 8 passes, Hokage-sama."

And finally, Asuma. "Team 10 also passes, pops."

Kakshi coughed lightly, getting everyone's attention. "I'd like to bring up something that was...interesting during my test with Team 7."

Kurenai's eyes widened. Did Kakashi know what she'd done? Silently she prayed that it was something else. If Kakashi knew and he brought it up, Kurenai could be in a lot of trouble.

"One of my genin, Uzumaki Naruto, has an odd skill set. While he is unremarkable when it comes to basic shinobi skills, I found that he has at his arsenal both the Kage bunshin, and the Berserker technique, both of which are in the forbidden scroll." said Kakashi.

"What? That's impossible!" shouted Aoba. "That brat has never shown any skill, less than anyone on my genin team did even!"

Genma simply dropped the senbon needle much like Asuma did with his cigarette, their mouths agape, and Hayate fell into a huge coughing fit.

Kurenai breathed a sigh of relief as the Hokage began to respond. "Yes, as you all know, Uzumaki Naruto managed to steal the forbidden scroll from here not too long ago, while being tricked by Mizuki. I was already aware of Naruto learning these skills. Thank you for pointing them out though, Kakashi."

Kakashi raised his hand slightly, palm outward, as if forestalling the Hokage. "I was also aware of the forbidden scroll incident, and the possibility that Naruto remembered various jutsu on it had crossed my mind. What surprised me, however, was the fact that he had time to already learn two of them, Kage bunshin one night, and not much longer, the considerably harder and more dangerous Berserker technique."

"Yes. Well, as you can see, Uzumaki Naruto's statistical information does not do him justice. However, I have a feeling that Naruto had some help with that. I will look into it, Kakashi." said the Hokage. "Is that all?"

Kakashi shook his head, and the other Jounin were silent as well, many of them still getting over the idea of a genin knowing such powerful jutsu.

The Hokage nodded and dismissed them, but called out to Kurenai before she left. "Kurenai, I'd like to speak with you."

She froze for a moment, and schooled her features before turning around. The other jounin filed out, looking at her oddly, until each of them had left. Once they were in private, the Hokage sighed loudly.

"Firstly, Kurenai, you should know that it is a great offense to interfere with another jounin's test. Especially at such a crucial moment." he said.

Kurenai's eyes widened in shock. "You knew?" she asked. "How?"

The Hokage took out the crystal ball he used, which allowed him to see various areas in the village. Once she saw it, Kurenai nodded slowly. It was obvious, and she had been foolish to think she could get away with this.

"However, I will not be taking action this time, Kurenai." he said to her shock. "In fact, I think it will be good for Kakashi to finally have a genin team, and also, just between you and me," he winked, "I wanted Naruto to be a genin as well." His expression became more serious though as he said in a no-nonsense tone, "If you ever do something like this again however, I can promise you that you will be put on review and suspended of your active duty status."

Kurenai nodded seriously, and heaved a huge sigh inwardly, both because she still couldn't believe she had been caught, and also in relief that she was off the hook.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama" she said.

After Kurenai had left, the Hokage leaned back into his chair. _'Even when he's not pulling pranks, Naruto causes problems.'_He chuckled as he put his pipe aside and got up, finished with the day's work, and went to find his bed.

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

**End of Chapter 4**

Alright! Chapter 5 is coming soon! It might be a little over a week though, since I'm getting a little busy. Let's see...on the schedule for next chapter...

Ooooh not telling... That's too bad. Well, till next chapter.


	5. C rank mission

Disclaimer– "Write down the thoughts of the moment. Those that come unsought for are commonly the most valuable." -Fancis Bacon

The Maelstrom of Konoha**-1.05**

**The Tale of a Young Boy's Ascent into the Legends**

_I'm beginning to realize that Book 1 should actually be considered a prologue, and what I have planned as Book 2 should actually be considered Book 1. However, I think keeping it as it is might be the best action right now. Just want everyone to realize that. -Cantor_

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

The next day began early for Naruto, as he woke up excited about his team starting their training. He rolled over in bed, still buried in the warmth of his sheets, and turned towards the clock. He had an hour to get to the training grounds. Plenty of time.

Nevertheless, he trudged out of his bed and into the shower, washing up for the new day. He dried off and put on clean clothes and walked out of the bathroom into the kitchen for some breakfast. As the instant ramen was cooking in the microwave, Naruto checked outside to see the sun shining brightly and plenty of people already up and walking around. Finally the microwave beeped and he sat down by the window and enjoyed the warmth shining through it as he ate.

By the time he had to head to the training grounds, Naruto was fully awake, and because of the light stretches and exercises he had decided to do, he already had a head start on his team mates.

He still managed to arrive earlier than everyone else at training grounds 7, and went to the small bridge nearby and leaned against the railing, waiting for everyone else to show up.

Sasuke was next, walking slowly and purposely to the bridge, his hands in his pockets and his head bowed. The raven haired boy barely gave a response to Naruto's "Good Morning", except for a brief moment of eye contact. The Uchiha prodigy simply ignored Naruto and leaned back to wait for their sensei, spacing out and losing himself in his own thoughts.

Naruto left his team mate alone, and went back to resting, his own thoughts turning to wondering how to use the Kyuubi's chakra. He'd tried several times earlier while waiting for everyone to arrive, but so far he'd only managed to gather his own. He wasn't going to keep trying while people were here either, so he decided that he'd have to wait until after all his training today to test any new ideas he might think of.

Soon after Sakura came hurrying up, still huffing from having to run from her house to the training grounds. Evidently she'd woken late – or had to put on make-up. She responded to Naruto's "Good Morning, Sakura-chan!" even less than Sasuke did. That is, she didn't even look in his direction.

Naruto ground his teeth and Sakura's constant attitude towards him, and decided something. It was a revolutionary thought in his mind, and immediately after he thought it, he wondered where it came from.

_'Forget Sakura. She's not even worth my time with how she acts.'_

Still blinking at the thought, Naruto watched from afar as Sakura continuously tried to engage Sasuke in conversation. If he was completely honest with himself, then he couldn't deny that she was being annoying. It was no wonder Sasuke didn't encourage her attention at all.

Azure eyes watched for the better part of an hour as Sakura never relented in her attempts, and Sasuke never acknowledged her. Sure, Naruto felt bad that Sakura was treated that way – but then he'd remember that when he tried talking to Sakura, she did to him the same thing that Sasuke normally did to her.

"**Glad you've finally come to your senses. I was beginning to wonder how retarded you really were."**the fox rumbled.

Naruto imagined sending a huge splash of the water from the floor in Kyuubi's cage into the fox's face, and was glad to hear the fox spluttering. _'Heh. Serves you right.'_

The fox snarled. "**Insolent Brat! I'll tear you to shreds!"**

Naruto laughed aloud at the empty threat, making his teammates glance at him. He waved them off, but to no avail. After waiting for their late sensei for so long, Sakura wasn't going to put up with Naruto's antics.

"Naruto! quit being so annoying! Sasuke-kun and I are trying to have a conversation!" she yelled.

That nearly did it. Naruto was equally annoyed, both by their sensei's lateness, and his recent epiphany regarding Sakura. He closed his eyes and tried to calm down by slowly counting backwards. Unfortunately, he was still fuming afterwards.

And when Kakashi finally did manage to show up, with a simple "Yo!", all three genins, thoroughly annoyed by each other, and their sensei's tardiness, yelled out at him, "You're Late!"

"Ah, sorry, sorry. I got lost." he said lamely.

Kakashi waved off their accusations of him..lying, of all things, and announced, "Well, I was going to get our first mission today, but seeing as you guys don't seem to be up to it..." he trailed off, happy to see that his genin team had shut up, eager to do the mission.

"Alright. Off to the Hokage Tower then to get our mission assignment." Kakashi lead the way with his three genin in tow, Sasuke brooding off to the side, Sakura walking up along side him, and Naruto, normally boisterous, was trailing behind.

Curious about the strange behavior from the blonde, Kakashi decided to keep an eye on the boy during their mission. Right now though, they were reaching the Hokage's Tower, where they'd get their mission.

"Ah, Team 7." said the Hokage when they were admitted into the room. "Let's see here, this will be this team's first mission? Ah yes... I have just the mission. One D-Rank for a delivery."

And so Naruto became familiar with the horror that were D-ranks. Dreadful, traumatizing, soul searing, excruciatingly boring, missions. They were something to be feared.

The first had been deliveries around Konoha. The second had been trash pickup. The third? Well that one Naruto effectively blocked out of his mind, since it was too horrible and experience.

Thankfully, they finished in the afternoon, and Naruto cheered when he was finally dismissed.

He started heading towards Ichiraku's, glad to finally have some time off. He smiled as he reached the small ramen stand and the old chef waved at him. To his side was his daughter, Ayame, who also waved.

Ayame was a pretty girl who Naruto loved to talk to and share his stories with, as she truly seemed to enjoy them, often overlooking his little embellishments. She rarely got to left the stand and instead worked hard with her father for their money, so for her, Naruto's stories were a wonderful source of entertainment.

Ayame greeted Naruto warmly as he sat down on the stool and asked him what to eat. Just as Naruto opened his mouth to order several bowls of his favorite though, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see bright red eyes.

"You!" he gasped.

"Deja vu" muttered Kurenai. "I thought we had an agreement, Naruto?" she asked.

Naruto blinked. And blinked again. Suddenly he remembered. "Oh! Sorry Kurenai-sensei, I completely forgot after Kakashi-sensei finally let us go! We had our first few missions today. D-ranks are terrible!"

Kurenai frowned. "Don't forget about our meeting again. I was waiting for you at the training grounds, and I was beginning to wonder if you'd picked up Kakashi's bad habits already."

This time it was Naruto's turn to frown. "Never! Kaksahi-sensei was late for our morning training by a couple hours! It won't happen again, Kurenai-sensei!"

"Alright, Naruto. Come with me, I need to speak with you." the older woman said.

"I was just about to eat, though!" whined Naruto, making Kurenai laugh.

"I bet those D-ranks tired you out." remarked Kurenai. "Alright. After we have our talk, I'll treat you to Ramen here before we start our training." Kurenai turned to see the old man at the ramen stand suddenly rubbing his hands together, and she wondered if she had made a mistake in offering to treat the genin...

Naruto cast one regretful look back at Ayame, silently telling her he'd be back soon, and headed after Kurenai.

The genin followed the taller Jounin for a while, still mourning his temporary loss of a meal. The thoughts did nothing to help the pit in his stomach which seemed to grow by the minute.

Being a young teenager, it was no fault of Naruto's that his mind was so stuck on food. Nor is it much of a surprise at what he was finally distracted by. Since he was shorter than the woman he was walking with, his stride was not as long, letting him walk just behind her and giving him a beautiful view.

Not that he stared. Lately though, Naruto had definitely been noticing women more and more, and he wasn't entirely comfortable with it. It had led to some compromising positions at times, though luckily he had managed to save himself from any awkwardness so far.

Right now there wasn't any problem. Kurenai was beautiful, and he was freely admitting that to himself at the moment, as he watched her surreptitiously. Her hips, which were hugged tightly in the wrappings she wore, swayed as she walked, and Naruto couldn't help but look.

Abruptly Kurenai stopped, and Naruto nearly walked into her in a daze before stopping himself quickly. He looked up to ask what was wrong, and she said over her shoulder, "Naruto, this is where we'll be meeting from now on, and I expect you to be here promptly. Now, first thing is first, I'm going to have to practice your chakra control, since that is a weak point of yours and is vital to any type of genjutsu."

Naruto nodded and listened closely as she explained the exercise to him. It wasn't difficult. At least, it didn't seem hard at all. She explained the common ways to improving chakra control, water walking, tree climbing, and went on to say that unfortunately, Naruto wasn't quite ready for that. She picked up a leaf, and held it to him.

"As I explained before, in the tree climbing exercise you use chakra to stick to the side of the tree as you climb it. In water walking, you use chakra to repel yourself from the water. What I want you to do, is use your chakra to _pull_instead of stick or repel. You are going to being picking leaves off of the ground with your chakra from your fingertips."

Naruto groaned. "How is picking up leaves going to help?"

Kurenai shot him a sharp glare, and Naruto gulped. "I mean, um, I'll do it!"

The glare turned to an overly happy smile. "Good. I'm glad you see my way. After you can pick up the leaves from the ground with no problem, you'll be picking up kunai from the ground instead, and when you master that, I'll show you a useful skill this can give you."

Naruto's disappointment evaporated with those words. All he had to do was master this, and she'd teach him a jutsu! Immediately he set out to his task with fervor, taking the leaf Kurenai handed to him and putting it on the ground. Unfortunately, he found himself unable to pick up the leaf from the ground.

His frustration grew as he showed little progress, and was there for nearly an hour before he could complete the simple task of getting it off the ground.

He found that simply putting the chakra on the tip of your fingers doesn't make it do anything – the leaf will just stay s it is and he'll keep using chakra. The trick, he found was to continuously move the chakra inwards on his finger tips. The outside of his fingers would bring the chakra out, and in the center he would move it back inside his finger, making a dough nut like shape, which is constantly inverting itself.

Naruto also realized that if he applied too little chakra, then no matter how well he manipulates it, the chakra won't have enough force to pull the leaf in. If he applies too much, the leaf folds in on itself as the chakra tries to pull it into his finger, as though too much gravity had acted on the leaf.

Off to the side, Kurenai watched Naruto's gradual improvement, offering small tips when she saw fit, telling him to stay calm, to focus on moving the chakra as well as the strength, but most of all, she offered encouragement.

Anko watched with her, having been looking for Kurenai to ask her friend to join her for dango, and instead ended up joining Kurenai for Naruto's training. She lounged on the ground in the shade by a tree, eating an apple as the genin eventually got the hang on the chakra exercise.

Unlike Kurenai however, she didn't off encouragement. She didn't tell him helpful tips or hint at what he should be doing for success. Instead, she munched on her apple and held a loud conversation with Kurenai, often criticizing Naruto's failures, making small jabs at his weak points.

In her mind, the harsh comments served a few purposes. One of them was a test – she wanted to make sure the boy had some backbone and actually deserved her respect and help before she offered any. Another was actually a form of help in itself, although not many would see it that way. Her harsh comments would point out Naruto's failures and weak points loudly, so that Naruto could hear her talking about them quite clearly. Hopefully in addition to angering him and maybe finally provoking him enough to prove himself to Anko, it would make him realize what he needed to work on, and in the end, he'd be much improved.

Naruto meanwhile, tried to ignore her loud comments while he continued practicing; focusing only on his own chakra and the leaf he was trying to hold with it. Of course, one of the key elements to successful chakra manipulation is being calm, since anger is a rough and uncontrollable emotion, and it reflects in your chakra.

Soon his hard-earned progress began to dwindle as he became more and more aggravated with Anko, and then became increasingly frustrated that he was not succeeding. When Kurenai finally called him to a stop, he thankfully held his anger back and settled for a glare rather than bashing her face in, Kurenai's friend or not.

The day ended with Kurenai having significantly less money than she is comfortable with, and Naruto lying in bed exhausted, but proud of himself.

The days came and went. Naruto began to stick to a routine. Wake up, eat, head out to meet team 7. Missions. Training on his own. Training with Kurenai. He made progress quickly in chakra manipulation, as well as a few jutsu he'd needed to brush up on. He could finally complete a Bunshin properly. He didn't use it much though, he had Kage Bunshin. Which, incidentally, he'd been using to try and perfect the Berserker Technique, as well as learn the immolation technique.

So far he'd only managed to make the Berserker Technique more efficient for him, but the Immolation technique remained elusive. The most he could do is create tiny flames, which would appear randomly on any part of his body. So far he'd never been able to do much more of a flame than what would be created by a match, much less envelope his body. On top of that, the flames had the odd habit of appearing in odd places – once on his rear in fact, which ended up in him singeing his chair.

Nevertheless, he kept practicing, and also trying to think of ways to bring out the Kyuubi's chakra. He hadn't had any luck though. The day soon came however when Kurenai finally switched him from leaves to kunai. The idea being that a heavier object is more difficult to pull to yourself with chakra.

It proved to be true. So far, he hadn't managed to make the kunai stick to his fingers. He would drive the kunai into the ground, and then try to remove it by placing his fingertip on the edge of the handle and pulling with chakra. So far, nothing had budged.

Anko had been having a field day.

"Hah! No wonder he was dead-last!" she nearly yelled. "He can't control his chakra any more than a first year academy student! He might as well not even be able to gather it up!"

Naruto ground his teeth, ignoring Anko, and gathering a bit more chakra to the tip of the kunai. He could feel it attach and he began to slowly bring it out of the ground. It wasn't budging easily.

"And here I thought since he's going to be Hokage and all, he'd at least have _some_ skill. But instead, he probably shouldn't even be a ninja."

He could feel it. It slowly began to wiggle out of the earth, rising from the ground, stained with dirt and grass. Idly he wondered what it would be like to pull a kunai out of a body – and how much more stained it would be.

"You shouldn't have wasted your time with the failure, Kurenai-chan!"

That did it. Overwhelming emotions filled him, and Naruto could feel the kunai suddenly give way to his chakra, as he yanked it out of the ground, throwing his entire body weight back and swinging around quickly, whipping his arm and he flung the kunai at the snake mistress, who was still smiling stupidly at her own words.

"Pretty girl or not, I'll still kick your ass for saying that!" he screamed.

Anko, even when caught off guard, didn't even blink at the kunai flying towards her. If anything, her smile grew wider and she rose her hand as if to catch the kunai, but held one finger out, with which she used chakra to grab onto the handle and fling it right back at Naruto, who didn't have any time to dodge.

It flew right by his face and cut a long thin line on his cheek, and suddenly he felt Anko standing right behind him. She put and arm around him and leaned down over her shoulder.

"So the wittle baby does have some backbone... I was beginning to worry that all I was doing was hurting his wittle fweelings..." she licked the blood running down his cheek with a smirk, and he gave an involuntary shudder at the feeling.

Abruptly Anko kicked him, hard, in the back and sent him flying forward. Face in the dirt, he could hear her say quite clearly from where he had just been standing. "I was just expecting you to snap back at me, but not attack me... but since you so kindly offered for a spar, I accept."

Naruto didn't have any time to move before Anko had already kicked him – hard, in the stomach, sending him flying to a tree trunk. As soon as he had landed at its base, Anko was already there, and it was beyond Naruto to make any sort of strong blocks or attacks of his own as Anko threw punches and kicks.

It finally ended when Kurenai stepped in, putting Naruto behind her.

"Aw, and I was just getting to the good part," whined Anko.

"Clearly he can't keep up with that pace, Anko. What were you trying to do? Put him in the hospital?" demanded Kurenai.

Anko just spread her hands and shrugged, saying "Well I figured he should learn not to attack a Jounin – it might serve as a useful lesson someday. His taijutsu truly was worse than I expected though." she muttered.

Naruto sent her baleful glare from the ground, something she didn't fail to see. "Oh! And even after taking such a beating he's still got some spunk to him! I like that..." said Anko. She trailed off though when she saw Naruto's face. "And look here... it seems your face already healed up... Interesting..."

She stood up and had a new gleam in her eyes. "And what's this about me being a pretty girl?" she asked teasingly. "Well, I have to admit, I am _awfully_..._good_-looking..." she struck a pose that clearly accentuated her features, and licked her lips slowly, letting Naruto take it all in with wide eyes, before he shook his head to clear any thoughts and was once again saved by Kurenai.

"Just ignore her teasing, Naruto. And try not to look. I don't approve of perverts." she said and started to lead him away.

Behind her, Anko whined . "Aw, but I wanted him to look! Besides, you're just stealing him, Kurenai-chan!" she joked.

Once they were a little away from Anko, Kurenai told Naruto that since he'd gotten to pull the kunai out once, she'd finally teach him if he could do it again, proving he had a mastery over it.

"Aw, but you said you'd teach me the jutsu once I managed to do it!" claimed Naruto.

Kurenai frowned. "I never said anything about a jutsu, it's a skill you'll be able to use in different situations with this chakra manipulation.."

Naruto paused for a moment. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"Never mind. Just do the kunai exercise. I'll think about giving you a jutsu as well as the kunai skill. Right now, I'm going to go talk to Anko though."

While Naruto got his kunai out and began the exercise again, Kurenai walked over to Anko, who was lounging in the shade again to watch.

"I can understand the comments from earlier to get him rile up, but was the teasing necessary?" she asked.

Anko smirked at her. "Of course! Would I be Mitarashi Anko if I didn't do it?" she asked. "Besides, he clearly has been giving you plenty of looks, so when he called _me_ pretty, I had to make sure he got a real _good_look of me."

"What? He's been checking me out?" asked a furious Kurenai. "I HATE perverts!" She spun around to go give Naruto a piece of her mind, but Anko stopped her.

"Hey! Calm down, Kure-chan! He's 13 years old. I don't think it would be a good idea to beat something out of him that's natural for a kid his age."

Kurenai glared at her. "And you'd encourage it so he becomes a pervert?"

"Naturally." smirked Anko. "Although I don't think he's a pervert. But here's the test: I'm just going to take off my shirt..." as she was saying this, Anko began to pull off the fishnet shirt, but this time it was Kurenai's turn to stop her friend from doing something stupid.

"What are you doing?" she hissed. "Stop it! I'm serious!"

Anko pouted. "Aw, it would have been fun to see the look on the kids face...He'd probably faint."

"Unless you're going to be helping, and not trying to turn him into something like Kakashi, then I think you should leave, Anko."

"Hey! Don't push me away so quickly, Kure-chan! I'll help, don't worry." she had to hold up her hands in an innocent gesture. "And I won't do anything perverted. I'm going to help his taijutsu. He has horrible form."

Kurenai nodded, and the two of them walked over to Naruto, who was now easily completing the kunai exercise. "Good, Naruto. You can stop now."

Naruto stood up straight, having been bent over towards the kunai, and he faced the two Jounin with a smile. "Alright, Kurenai-sensei! What are you going to teach me next?"

"You've already seen the skill I told you about. Anko here used it when you threw the kunai at her. Do you remember what it is?"

Naruto thought for a moment, but realized he couldn't picture it. "She just threw it back at me..."

"No. She stopped it with her chakra, using the same concept that you're using to pull the chakra out of the ground. Since chakra can be used to pull things to you, it's essentially making things stick to you. You can even make someone's first stick to you with your chakra, although this won't make a ninja stick to you long, since they will easily be able to counter it and move again, but it might give you a moment of surprise." explained Kurenai.

Naruto scowled. "That won't help me at all in a fight!"

Anko laughed, and Kurenai raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? Then try and move." she said, laying her hand on his shoulder.

Naruto instantly tried to jump away, but only his legs went, and his shoulder stuck to Kurenai's hand, making him basically belly-flop the ground. He growled and stood up after Kurenai let him go.

"Now, there are other things you can do with the concepts from these chakra manipulation exercises. For me to show you this one though, I want you to try and hit me." she said.

Naruto hesitated for a moment, but he was already angry at having been brought to the ground so easily, and he went for it. Kurenai didn't even move. She stood in place, and he watched his fist move closer and closer to her gorgeous face, but when it got closer, his fist suddenly veered off to the side, missing her completely.

He openly gaped. He'd missed a still target? In front of him, Kurenai and Anko both stood with identical smirks. "As you can see, Naruto. You missed. If you're confused as to why, it's because I used my chakra to push your fist out of the way. At the moment, your brute strength isn't enough to overcome my chakra pushing your fist, but if you were someone with more strength, or with chakra control that could interrupt mine, then you wouldn't have had a problem hitting me."

Anko nudged him in the shoulder. "So you and I are going to be working on your taijutsu together sometimes, which will improve those flabby muscles." she pinched his biceps as she said that, making him jerk his arm away.

That is how his practices finished, and Naruto found that his increased chakra control was going to have huge benefits, especially if he could use it to avoid attacks. So far Kurenai had already told him that tomorrow she'd be starting him on tree climbing, which was very similar to the kunai exercise, though on a much bigger scale and more difficult because it was on his feet. And by the time he knew water walking well, he'd be able to use chakra to help him in a bunch of ways in fights, not just making his jutsu more efficient.

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The next day brought some even better news though. He had been waiting with Sasuke and Sakura at training grounds 7 for a few hours already, giving Naruto time to discreetly practice pulling a kunai out of the ground while sitting at the base of a tree, while Sasuke was busy brooding and Sakura was busy trying to talk to Sasuke.

Kakashi finally appeared though, ignoring Sakura's loud accusations, and announced that they were heading to the Hokage to get their next mission.

Now with all the training he's been receiving and all the progress he's made, Naruto was feeling good. Really good. He was confident and ready for a mission that would test him. So obviously he was disappointed when the Hokage announced a lousy D-rank that would have them cleaning in the village.

"No! I'm tired of D missions! Give us a C-rank, Old Man!" he shouted.

"Naruto! Don't talk to the Hokage like that!" yelled Iruka as he leaned over the desk, who was there oftentimes to help distribute the missions to the teams.

The Hokage, however, waved Iruka off. "It's okay, Iruka. I wouldn't expect Naruto to change his ways after so many years."

After a quick explanation of how mission rankings work in accordance with ninja rankings, Naruto was still obstinate in his choice. He wanted a C-rank, damn it!

"Fine. How does everyone else on the team feel about this?" asked the Hokage. "Do all of you feel you're ready for a C-rank?"

Naruto and Sasuke immediately nodded, and seeing Sasuke's nod, Sakura nodded as well. The Hokage sighed and rubbed his temples, before finally agreeing.

"This mission is to protect a bridge builder from bandits and other such dangers while he is building a bridge essential to his village's wellbeing in Wave. I hope all of you will act professionally and take this assignment very seriously while you are representing Konoha." The Hokage looked them each in the eyes carefully to make his point before he turned to Iruka. "Alright. Iruka, please go get Tazuna-san."

Iruka nodded and left the room, returning shortly with an older man who wobbled on his feet, holding a large bottle of sake. He eyed team 7 when he entered.

"I'm going to be protected by you brats? I doubt you guys could handle the job. Especially the short one with the freaky face." he slurred.

"Why you-" Naruto began to charge the old man, only to be stopped by Kakashi.

"I can understand your concern, sir, but I am a Jounin of Konoha, and I can promise you that no harm will come to you while you're under my protection." he said. Turning towards his genin team, he told them to get there things and meet him and Tazuna at the east Gate in an hour.

Tazuna and Kakashi walked out of the Hokage's office shortly after, and immediately headed towards the gate. An uncomfortable silence followed them.

"So, you're a jounin at this village, eh?" asked the bridge builder.

Kakashi just kept walking, having already pulled out his orange book.

Tazuna sweat dropped. "Are you listening?"

Still no answer from the masked ninja. '_This will be a long trip.'_thought Tazuna.

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Naruto, meanwhile, was running back to his apartment to pack his things – some clothes, a tiny bit of food for himself, and some spare ninja supplies. After he finished that, he quickly locked up and hurried off to find Kurenai-sensei. He needed to tell her that he wouldn't be in Konoha for a little bit.

He eventually found her, and team 8 training together, so he realized he only had two choices – barge in on their training and come up with a lie on why he was talking with a jounin instructor of a different team, or find Anko.

He didn't have any way to find Anko though. He didn't know enough about her. So he stood for a moment, thinking on how to approach the issue. If he just left, Kurenai would get mad at him for not being at the training grounds when she had told him to be there. If he barged in, the secret that she was helping him train would be out.

Suddenly, Akamaru barked, and Kiba announced in his loud voice, "Someone is here guys. I think it smells like -"

At that point, Naruto just jumped out. It was now or nothing. "Hi, guys!" he yelled stupidly, trying to buy time to think. "What are you guys up to?"

"What does it look like, idiot? We're training," snarled Kiba. "And don't interrupt!"

"Why you bastard!" Naruto charged at Kiba, who smirked, and got into a stance.

Hinata, however, stood in the way, "Stop it!" she shouted, a bit uncharacteristically.

Naruto didn't have any time to avoid crashing into Hinata, since he'd already gotten enough speed that he couldn't stop so quickly. He bowled over her and the two fell into a heap on the ground with Hinata on top.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing, dobe?" roared Kiba, taking a few steps forward. "Don't hurt Hinata like that you bastard!"

He was held back by Shino, however. "Stop it, Kiba."

Hinata and Naruto didn't quite realize most of this though. Naruto was panicking that he might have hurt Hinata, who he realized had never done anything to him, while Hinata was simply having trouble taking in the fact that she was straddling Naruto's waist in a pretty compromising position.

She turned bright red and once Naruto asked her if she was alright, it was too much. She fainted. Right on top of her crush.

"Hinata?" asked Naruto, shaking her. "Hinata! She fainted! I didn't mean to hurt her like that! Honest!"

Shino and Kurenai both shook their heads at Naruto's obliviousness, while Kiba simply snarled, "You idiot I can't believe you hurt her! I swear I'll tear you to shreds if we get to fight!"

"Kiba, be quiet please." said Kurenai. "Naruto, why are you here?"

At that, Naruto remembered what his original reason for coming here was. '_Well I did buy plenty of time for myself, but I forgot to think of a plan.'_

"Um, well you see, Kurenai-sensei. I'm going on a mission with team 7. We're heading to Wave." he explained, deciding to just tell her what was going on. Now he needed to think of a reason to explain why he was telling Kurenai-sensei this...

Luckily, Kurenai already caught on. "Oh, so Kakashi sent you to tell me that your team won't be able to spar with us today. Alright. Well then, perhaps when team 7 gets back you can find us for a friendly spar."

Naruto sent Kurenai a grateful look, which she answered with a kind smile and a barely perceptible wink, and the blond haired genin sped off towards the eastern gate.

When he'd finally reached the gate, everyone was already there waiting for him.

"I knew the weird faced kid was no good," muttered Tazuna. Naruto ignored him.

"Alright, it's about two days until we reach Wave if we keep a steady pace, so let's head out now so we get the most of the day." said Kakashi, already pulling out his book and walking off in the direction of Wave.

The others all looked at each other before walking off to follow him. Sasuke fell in a steady pace just behind Kakashi, hands in his pockets and staring straight ahead, carefully ignoring anything Sakura said. For herself, Sakura chose to walk alongside Sasuke and constantly make conversation, oftentimes centering around Sasuke's skill as a ninja.

That left Naruto in the rear, along with Tazuna. Neither of them spoke for a while, both of them content to be left alone. Naruto was busy looking around, taking in the village surroundings, while Tazuna simply watched the antics of team 7 like it was some form of entertainment. Perhaps it was.

Eventually, Tazuna walked up to talk with Kakashi, while Naruto was left to his own thoughts again. He still hadn't managed to bring out the Kyuubi's chakra, and he'd refused to negotiate with the fox to have it tell him how to use it, since the fox wanted him to tear off a portion of the seal. He didn't have to talk to the Old Man to tell him that couldn't be a good deal.

It wasn't long before the team came upon a puddle. None of them thought much about it, though all of them had an odd sense of foreboding. Only Kakashi knew exactly what the puddle meant, and prepared properly for it.

After they had passed by it, Naruto felt two people coming up behind them and all three of the genin and Tazuna turned just in time to see two ninja's with masks covering their faces throw a chain around a still unsuspecting Kakashi, wrapping him tightly in their chain.

They yanked it hard and Kakashi's eyes widened as he was ripped to shreds before his genin team's very eyes.

"Kakashi-sensei!" screamed Sakura, already knowing that the situation was way over their heads.

"One down." echoed the two ninjas, turning their eyes towards Naruto.

Naruto, however, was still shell-shocked at the death of their sensei. Sasuke saw this, and quickly pinned the ninjas' chain to a tree with his shuriken and kunai, and shoved Sakura in front of Tazuna. "Watch the old man!" he ordered, taking charge of the situation.

He jumped up on top of the chain and kicked both of the ninjas, who detached the chain from their arm and made a beeline for Naruto and Sakura.

The one charging Naruto managed to make a stab into Naruto's hand before he came to his senses, and fought back. "Kage-bunshin no jutsu!" he shouted, forming three clones around him.

They charged at the ninja, who managed to take out two quickly, but not the third, as he had to block several kunai that the real Naruto had thrown, and got hit, hard, because of it. He hit a tree trunk behind him and suddenly Sasuke was there as well, holding a kunai to the man's neck.

For Sakura, all she could do was pull out a kunai and wait for the other ninja to reach her. She had no way to handle this, and she knew it. Luckily, before the ninja had reached her, Kakashi was there, quickly knocking out the ninja and then turning to the one that Sasuke and Naruto had cornered and knocking out the other ninja that Sasuke had pinned to the tree.

"Good job, Sasuke. Sakura." said Kakashi calmly. "You also, Naruto, although I wish you hadn't gotten hurt. It's good Sasuke managed to get the kunai against his neck, or you may have been more hurt by the time you were able to finish him."

Naruto bristled at the condescending manner in which Kakashi spoke. As if he was only still standing because the great Sasuke came to his rescue!

"But Kakashi-sensei! How are you alive? We saw you get caught in that chain!" asked Sakura.

"Ah, well I just used a simple kawarimi, Sakura. Now, more importantly, I have some questions for you Tazuna. You see, I purposely stayed out of the fight so that I could see who the target was, Konoha ninja's, or you. Given the situation, I don't think it was the former. That leaves you. This is clearly above a C-rank, since we're encountering enemy ninja. Care to explain?"

At this, Tazuna fell to his knees, and explained everything. "Please! My country is poor, and my bridge is the only way to help the situation by bringing in more trade! The ninjas are being sent by a businessman who wants to stop me, but I beg you, I need your protection! I couldn't afford more than a C-rank!"

Kakashi nodded slowly. "I see. Nevertheless, you lied about the mission, meaning we have no obligation to complete it, and with Naruto injured and probably poisoned by the blade..."

He trailed off when Naruto suddenly plunged a kunai into his hand, draining the poison quickly. Everyone stared at the sudden move. "We can go on with the mission now, right, Kakashi-sensei?" he asked.

Kakashi nodded. "We still need to bandage your wound though. Here let me.." he once again trailed off in shock as he knelt to see the wound already healing over, evidence of the Kyuubi inside him. Still, he bandaged it so that the rest of team 7 wouldn't see.

"Alright, I'll give you guys the same choice the Hokage gave you. Do you all want to go?"

Seeing them all nod, Kakashi sighed in resignation. "Fine. But I'm going to request some backup from Konoha."

Saying this, Kakashi cut his thumb on the tip of a kunai and performed some hand-seals. "Kuchiyose no jutsu!"

A puff a smoke appeared and when it faded, a small dog was sitting there, looking up at Kakashi. "Yo!" it said, raising a paw in greeting.

The genin team stared, and Kakashi introduced them. "Pakun, this is my genin team, Uchiha Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto. Team, this is Pakun."

They greeted eachother awkwardly before Kakashi continued. "Pakun, I need you to run back to Konoha and ask the Hokage for some backup. It seems there are enemy nin involved. Also send an Anbu to pick up two missing nin. I believe they are known as the demon brothers."

Pakun nodded and ran off, leaving team 7 to turn and continue on their way to wave.

Later, the Hokage heard a knock at his door, and two Chuunin came in to see him. "Hokage-sama," they said in unison, bowing.

"Yes?" he asked, putting his paperwork aside for a moment, and shutting a drawer, which had, unknown to the Chuunin, been concealing his icha icha paradise book.

"We just received a report from Kakashi-san via Pakun, his summon, that he has encountered enemy ninja in the mission, and that he requests some backup. He has decided to continue the mission with his team." said one Chuunin.

The Hokage raised an eyebrow. "He's continuing the mission with the genin? Did he say why he decided to do that?"

The Chuunin shook their heads. "No, Hokage-sama," answered one. "He also asked to have an ANBU pick up two knocked out Demon Brothers and bring them back to Ibiki. If I may suggest, Hokage-sama, I would send someone of equal caliber as Kakashi to back up team 7."

The Hokage nodded. "I agree. I already have someone in mind to send." He wrote out a mission assignment quickly, and handed it to one of the Chuunin. He looked at it and raised an eyebrow at the name on it. Are you sure she's a good choice?

The Hokage nodded. "Yes. Give her the mission assignment and inform her that I want her to be in Wave as quickly as possible."

Both Chuunin snapped to attention, putting their heels together and straightening up. "Hai! Hokage-sama!" They saluted, and left.

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**End of CHAPTER 5**

I've decided that I'd like to respond to some reviews on the story, and I think I'll only do this every once in a while to keep the frequency of the occurrences down, so it doesn't clutter all of my chapters. Not that I don't_**want**___to respond, but that some reviews don't have accounts and I can't contact them any other way, and some reviews also pose good questions/points, that require answers that everyone deserves to hear. So, without any further ado: (some of these responses are from reviews from way back, and likewise, I won't respond to all reviews, but ones that I feel deserve a thought out answer.)


	6. Zabuza

Disclaimer– "Every writer I know has trouble writing." -Joseph Heller

The Maelstrom of Konoha**-1.06**

**The Tale of a Young Boy's Ascent into the Legends**

_Check my biography page for 'suggested/proposed' schedule for updating. If I miss one of those dates by a two or three days without warning in the previous chapter, feel free to email me. Also, I'm considering the possible need for beta person whose online a lot and I can bounce ideas off of. - Cantor_

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Later that night, Naruto awoke to the unpleasant feeling of scales slithering against his legs. He jumped up with a startled swear and threw his covers away from him, revealing a long snake that had been sharing his sleeping back with him. The snake had moments to hiss before he roughly kicked it away out of sheer instinctual reaction, and by then, the others had also awoken, Sasuke sitting bolt upright and pulling out a kunai, asking Naruto, "where?", Sakura was busy blinking the sleep out of her eyes, and Kakashi, through all of this, simply yawned, sat back at the trunk he'd been leaning against while keeping watch, and turned out to the darkness of the other trees nearby.

Tazuna, of course, slept through it all. He'd managed to find some more sake after the fight earlier and drank enough to knock out an elephant.

"Was that necessary?" he asked lazily. "I had enough trouble getting them to go to sleep earlier, even when there wasn't any threat of being attacked. Now it'll be impossible to get him to sleep if he thinks you'll be creeping around sending snakes after him."

The three genin all stiffened when Kakashi addressed the intruder, and just as quickly relaxed as they took in Kakashi's own relaxed pose. If they were in trouble, surely Kakashi would let them know.

"Well you know me, I enjoy big entrances. I figured your little runts should all be awake to greet me properly when I arrived."

The genin, who were still a little unsure as to what to expect, stiffened again as the outline of a woman slowly became apparent walking closer to the group's campfire. Purple hair, fishnet shirt with trench coat, accompanied by a dark grin and an unnerving gleam in the eyes announced the new comer as Mitarashi Anko.

"Yo, gaki. Sorry about that, I didn't realize you'd scream like a scaredy-cat" grinned Anko, as she sat down by the fire abruptly and held out her hand, which the snake from before obediently returned to.

"You!" shouted Naruto pointing a finger dumbly at her. Then her words hit him like an anvil, and he started spluttering. "I did NOT scream!" Realizing how stupid this could turn out to be, he quickly changed the subject. "And what's with you doing that! I was sleeping!"

Anko shrugged. "Well I figured since you're always doing pranks I might as well give you some of your own medicine. Besides, as I said, I like big entrances, and you screaming definitely served as a loud, memorable entrance." She imitated Naruto for a moment, screaming and kicking an imaginary snake away, much to the amusement of the others.

Sakura laughed and said loudly, "Yeah, Naruto. That was pitiful. Sasuke-kun would never scream over something so stupid as a snake!"

Anko's eyes narrowed at the girl's words. "Watch it, girly. I'm sure you'd be surprised at what a snake could make him, or you, do."

Sasuke hmphed at Anko's words, and Sakura opened her mouth angrily to retort, but Kakashi stepped in, holding his hands up in a pacifying gesture. "Now, now...I don't think Anko is here to get into a fight with us, and we all need our sleep for tomorrow, so why don't we all calm down?"

He waited for a few moments as everyone fell silent, and then he turned towards the newcomer. "Now Anko, you and I need to talk. I'm guessing Hokage-sama sent you as our backup?" After Anko nodded, he continued. "Alright, well I for one am glad for your help. We ran into some Chuunin level hidden mist nin before, and I'm thinking that whoever hired them will know to send in some bigger guns next time around."

Anko nodded. "Good. I wouldn't want to end up fighting some weaklings anyway. It's just no fun if I only get to torture weaklings. The purple haired woman pulled out a kunai and ran her finger along it longingly."

Kakashi shivered mentally, and decided to change the subject before his genin were corrupted. "So I was reading the new Icha Icha today and you guys won't BELIEVE what hap-"

Unfortunately, he was cut off when Anko smacked him in the back of the head. "Pervy one eyed freak..."

After the weirdness had subsided and Anko had managed to eat a little, seeing as she hadn't had the chance to eat anything substantial while running earlier, and after the two Jounin went over plans for the next few days, everyone got ready to go back to sleep.

"Well, since you're probably more tired than I am, seeing as you've been traveling double time to catch up with us, I suppose I'll let you sleep and I'll take watch again." announced Kakashi.

Anko nodded and looked around behind her, evidently searching for something. She walked over to her pack and opened it. "Ah! It seems I forgot my sleeping bag."

She stood up, thinking, and Kakashi offered her his own sleeping bag for the time being. "No thanks, cyclops. I don't want to sleep in that bag, not if you've been looking at porn as often as I think you do. I'll share with one of your runts...Hmm. Let's see..."

She turned and studied the three genin, who all watched her cautiously. "Well, I don't like the broody one," said Anko, pointing at Sasuke. "And the pink haired harpy here pisses me off still from looking down on snakes before. So that leaves..."

She turned her head slowly, a predatory gleam in her eye and a wide grin, to look at Naruto. "You."

"Whaaaaat! No way in hell, you crazy woman!" shouted Naruto.

Anko's grin disappeared, replaced with a frown. "You didn't just call me crazy woman, did you?" She asked menacingly, holding up a snake.

"Umm. No—No I didn't." answered Naruto, taking a step back from the reptile.

"Oh no, I think you did. I'll be sure to let my snakes know that you're up for grabs tonight. Unless of course..."

"Alright! Fine! You can use my sleeping bag, but don't keep letting your snakes crawl all over me when I'm sleeping!"

Anko smiled brightly and walked over to him, and climbed into his bag as the other genin got into their own and began to sleep. Naruto began to walk off to find a spot on the ground nearby where he could sleep, but Anko grabbed his wrist.

"Where do you think your going?" she asked. "We're sharing."

Naruto balked. "Uh—um Well I don't think, uh-

"Get in!" hissed Anko angrily as she lost patience. She yanked his arm, making Naruto stumble and fall down along side her. "Better. Now, there's nothing wrong with this, we're not doing anything wrong right_now_." she whispered in his ear. "I promise you, I'll be very, _very_ good tonight."

Kakashi, of course, was oblivious to all of this as he read his book.

He shivered and she wrapped his arms around him to 'keep him warm tonight'.

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

The next morning was just as interesting for the small campsite as Anko's arrival the previous night was.

Tazuna woke up to find Kakashi reading his book—still—and of course, as he took a sip of water from a canteen, he saw Naruto and Anko. Choking on the drink, he coughed and spit it back out, waking up Sakura.

"What the hell is going on?" asked Tazuna.

Kakashi was still too busy reading his book to even acknowledge Tazuna, and Sakura was still rubbing the sleep out of her eyes to answer. When she saw though, she sat up and shrieked, waking up Sasuke, Anko, and Naruto.

What everyone noticed, was Naruto, during sleep, had managed to place both of his hands on Anko's breasts and was fondling them, while Anko had wrapped her legs around Naruto's torso and seemed to be pulling him close.

Sasuke just smirked and "Hn'd." Not caring too much about Naruto's idiocy, but Sakura on the other hand was outraged.

"Naruto you pervert!" she yelled, smacking him.

Naruto barely felt the blow. Too stunned to move, he just stared at Anko's breasts and only came back to earth after Anko had moved his own hands off of her chest and calmly untangled herself from him. She stood up, and acting as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened, announced with a wink over her shoulder to the blond genin,

"Wow, I slept well. What's for breakfast?"

The others simply stared at her in silence, amazed at her lack of concern over how she and Naruto slept, and it wasn't until Tazuna burst out, "Who the hell is SHE?" that everyone was knocked out of their daze.

Naruto was the one who spoke up. "She's a crazy snake woman, and she likes tormenting people!"

Anko looked up thoughtfully at his words. "The words torturing, not tormenting, and," at this she turned to look at Naruto angrily. "I think we talked about calling me crazy, right?"

Naruto gulped and barely had time to dodge the kunai she threw. "What! wait! I'm sorry!" he yelled as he got up to run.

"Too late for that, brat!" she yelled as she threw another kunai with an explosive tag.

While Tazuna watched with wide eyes, Kakashi walked up along side him, reading his book. "She's a jounin in Konoha, Mitarashi Anko. She's our backup."

"Come on you wimp! Is running all you can do?" yelled Anko in the background, who was laughing like a lunatic. Several explosions followed afterwards.

"Sasuke, Sakura, start packing up. We're going to leave as soon as those two are done." said Kakashi.

Sakura spoke up timidly. "Um, Kakashi-sensei? Shouldn't you go save Naruto?"

"Hmm? Why? They're having fun."

"Kage bunshin no jutsu!"

"Hah, brat You think these things will hurt me? I can just summon some more snakes to take care of them!"

Tazuna and Sakura sweat dropped. "Don't you mean you're having fun watching?" asked Sakura.

"Same thing. Don't forget Anko is having fun too."

"Kakashi-sensei! Help me!"

"Looks like Naruto is getting into it too. Now, back to Icha Icha for me, and you guys start packing."

Sasuke, of course, was nearly done already, since he hardly cared what happened to the dobe, so by the time Sakura was just beginning, he was already slinging his pack up onto his shoulders.

Not really sure what to do, he sat down near Kakashi and decided to try and figure out how he could unlock his Sharingan.

Not long afterwards, after several more exploding notes, screams, and many Kage bunshin and summons dispelling, Anko came out of the surrounding underbrush with Naruto in tow. That is to say, dragging an exhausted and beaten Naruto by his arms.

"Nothing quite as good as some morning exercise to start your day!" she said cheerily. She look at Kakashi and Sasuke already packed, and Tazuna and Sakura in the middle of finishing their own packing. Her pack was already neatly off to the side, having never been opened the night before. Naruto's however, still needed to be put together.

"Well brat, since your hurt, and a little tired from our training, I'll let you off the hook and pack your stuff together. Aren't I kind?" she asked.

Naruto glared up at her. "It's your fault I'm hurt like this, you know. And what's with you being nice all the sudden? Are you bipolar?"

Anko dropped him onto the ground with a wide smile. "Nope! But never mind. I don't feel like packing your stuff now. Not until you learn some manners at least."

And so Naruto found himself packing his things, bruised, scraped, and more tired than he'd been the night before, and then having to set out with the rest of his team. Anko of course, put her arm around his shoulder as they walked out of their campsite. And although he flinched and tried to get away, she held onto him, and with a wide smile, announced to the group,

"I think Naruto and I are going to get along just fine! We're already buddies!"

For the rest of the day, Naruto had an extreme sense of foreboding. Nevertheless, their trip was relatively peaceful for the rest of the morning, and Naruto found he didn't actually mind having the Jounin wrapping her arm around him, since despite all her personality flaws, she wasn't exactly unattractive.

Of course, he made sure to not let his eyes wander towards her. Her revealing way of dressing posed a huge temptation, and Naruto wasn't quite sure what would happen if she caught him glancing. Especially after her remarks towards Kakashi the night before.

Tazuna however, didn't find any such problem at first, and openly stared as she was talking with Naruto. Combine her looks with his sake, and he found it irresistible not to look. So he enjoyed the occasional glimpse he got at her round chest when her coat moved out of the way, and it wasn't until he noticed snake hissing at him over his shoulder and another one dangerously close to his crotch that he decided that maybe the good view wasn't worth it. He apologized profusely to the grinning woman and it wasn't until he promised her as much sake as she wanted that she ordered the snakes off of him.

Anko of course, was enjoying herself immensely. She could get used to doing missions instead of interrogations with Ibiki. Genin to scare and tease, free sake, meeting people, sunny scenery, what wasn't to like?

They reached a body of water that they had to cross before they reached Tazuna's land, and stopped to have lunch before embarking. Tazuna warned them about seasickness, but none of the Konoha ninja seemed to be worried about it.

Luckily for Naruto, Anko didn't bother him while he ate, and instead went to sit next to Kakashi. She nudged the older man in the side until, much to the amazement of all present, Kakashi looked away from his book.

"I noticed earlier that the brat's taijutsu is terrible," she announced, ignoring Naruto's incredulous look, as both he and she knew that she had agreed to help his taijutsu while Kurenai helped his chakra control and genjutsu. Of course, Kakashi didn't know that.

"Hm." nodded Kakashi, also ignoring Naruto. "And what are you getting at?"

Anko leaned forward, lowering her voice conspiratorially, although everyone in the group could hear her fine. "Well, since managing three genin can be tough, I thought while I'm on this mission I can help the brat out a bit, while you help out the other two?"

Naruto, having caught onto what Anko was doing—trying to get permission to train him now and have an excuse to keep training openly when they got back to Konoha—decided to be quiet and see how this turned out.

Kakashi turned and looked at his genin team thoughtfully. "Well, I suppose so. I can devote more time to Sasuke then. And Sakura as well. You'll just be teaching him taijutsu?" He asked.

"Just refining basic academy taijutsu, and if he gets good enough, maybe a few katas of my taijutsu. If I give him any ninjutsu it won't be anything too big. And of course maybe I'll take pinky off of your hands a few days and teach both her and Naruto and you can devote time to the Uchiha then?" answered Anko.

Kakashi nodded. "Alright. But let's work out the finer details later. Right now I think it's time we head out and get a boat to use. Tazuna, if you'll lead the way?"

Tazuna nodded and lead them to a smaller house where he knocked on the door, and a younger man came out, probably in his thirties with dark hair and a fisherman's hat on. "Morning, Tazuna." he said. "I was wondering when you'd show up. I already got my boat ready. Follow me."

The group found out that the man was an old friend of Tazuna, and that he was a fisherman who sold his goods in Tazuna's town occasionally. His boat was simple, but it got the job done and managed to fit all of them, although it was a tight squeeze, and once again, Anko had managed to wrap her arm around Naruto and enjoyed teasing him by leaning in, giving him a view down her shirt. Naruto wasn't sure if it was intentional or not, but he did his absolute best in looking anywhere but there, much to Anko's amusement.

It was a short ride, but it seemed longer to Naruto, who was both anxious because of the mist that had started to rise up, and because he was under constant fear of the woman next to him. He barely managed to suppress a sigh of relief when he finally got onto land again, and separated himself from the snake mistress.

The fisherman bid them goodbye and started off back home, while the rest of them formed a small guard around Tazuna and set off to the old man's home. It was around then that Naruto, who was in the front of the group, sensed a foreign chakra, and the memory of the demon brothers' attack came to him. He tensed and suddenly threw a kunai at the foreign chakra, shouting a warning to the group.

A dull thunk was heard, and when nothing happened—no attacks or response, Naruto cautiously went to see what had happened, only to see a dazed rabbit where he'd thrown the kunai.

"Dobe. What are you doing?" scoffed Sasuke, amongst Sakura's screeching at his idiocy and Kakashi's sigh. Anko, however, narrowed her eyes. "Kawarimi."

Everyone's eyes widened and Kakashi and Anko pushed everyone down as a large blade soared through the air, aimed right at where their heads had been. Assured that everyone was safe by Anko, Kakashi nodded and stood up to face the newcomer, who was standing on his blade, embedded into a tree.

"Missing nin Momochi Zabuza. Demon of the Mist." announced Kakashi. Noticing the genin and Anko begin to get ready for a fight, Kakashi warned them over his shoulder. "team 7, don't get involved. This is way beyond your level. Guard Tazuna. Anko, make sure they do that and check for any backup he might have."

"Well well well. I was wondering how the demon brothers could have failed, but seeing who else was in the group, I'm not surprised, Copy-nin Kakashi. I'm afraid I don't recognize this other Jounin though." He watched her set off to look around. "Anko, you said?"

"Maybe I'll introduce you two in a little bit. She's been dying for a fight. But until then..." Kakashi pulled up his headband as he trailed off, revealing his single Sharingan eye. "Let's get started, shall we?"

Momochi hefted his sword and got ready to fight. "Ah, the Sharingan. I'm honored to see it. Kirigakure no jutsu!"

The genin watched as the mist gathered rapidly, concealing Zabuza and nearly Kakashi as well. They circled around Tazuna to watch from all directions and searched for any sign of the missing nin. Momochi's taunting came from all around them as raw killing intent emanated towards them, nearly suffocating the genin in its thickness and pressure.

Kakashi drew his kunai and leveled his own killing intent. Sensing his genin team's unease, he turned towards them and spoke reassuringly. "Don't worry. I will protect you no matter what. Even at the cost of my life." This was the level of a fight between jounin. Naruto turned towards his teammates and saw they were shaking, although they appeared calmer from Kakashi's words. He himself had faced killing intent like this before—in Konoha. Nevertheless, he couldn't bring himself to appear much calmer than his teammates.

Zabuza's laughter echoed from around them, and suddenly, Naruto felt Zabuza's killing intent wash over him in waves, like the floodgates poured open, and he was drowning in it. From right behind him he heard the missing nin ask, "8 points. Where to strike?"

Naruto's eyes widened, and he had only a second to react as he pulled Tazuna away, leaving his team to fend for themselves, before Zabuza swung his blade at them.

Kakashi was quick on the uptake, and quickly jumped in to block the blow, stabbing Zabuza at the same time. Unfortunately, Zabuza turned out to be a water clone, and as the water clone dispersed, Kakashi whipped around in time to see Zabuza's sword flashing in the light, burying into his body. Sakura screamed and Sasuke gaped, before the Kakashi suddenly burst into water himself, seconds before the real Kakashi materialized behind the missing nin, kunai poised at his throat.

"It's over." said Kakashi, tensing to drive the kunai into the pulsing jugular. It was then that an explosion echoed in the trees nearby, and Anko came flying out. "There's another on in there!" she shouted as she got up, ready to fend off her attacker.

Zabuza used the opportunity to kick Kakashi out into the water, and just as the Konoha Jounin rose to the surface, Zabuza completed the Suroi no jutsu, and Kakashi found himself inside a water prison.

"Kakashi-sensei!" shouted Sakura, as the other genin tensed, ready to jump into the fray to help their sensei, before Anko shouted "Stay back! Let me handle things!"

"It's over, Kakashi. It's a shame that your legacy ends here. My apprentice will finish off this Anko woman, and then there won't be anyone to stop us from getting rid of the old man."

"Like hell you will!" shouted Naruto, ignoring Anko and pulling out kunai to throw at Zabuza.

The missing nin laughed mirthlessly. "And you'll be stopping us, I suppose? Don't make me laugh. You're just genin. I bet you haven't even hurt an enemy before, much less killed one. Tell me, do you understand the feeling that you get as your cold steel pierces into the warm body of a ninja? The feeling of his blood washing over your hands, or the sight of the life leaving him? I have known all of these feelings and reveled in them since I was younger than you! What experience do you have that can match mine?"

As the older nin spoke, he summoned a bunshin, and advanced it swiftly towards Naruto, kicking him out of the way, and knocking off his hitaite. Seeing this, he stomped on it. "You wear these like your ninja, completing life risking missions, when really you're only kids pretending. Today I will teach you the difference between you and I."

Naruto charged forward and attacked Zabuza, only to be kicked away like a fly. The others cried out at his stupidity, but were surprised to see Naruto standing up, retying his headband on.

Kakashi became more and more worried for his team. He had to get them away from this! "Sasuke, Sakura, Naruto, take Tazuna and run!"

"Heh. I am a ninja of Konoha, and besides, weren't you the one who said those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash?" asked Naruto.

"Kage bunshin no jutsu!" a huge mass of clones charged towards the one Zabuza clone and piled on top of him, only to be flung off. The real Naruto, that was amongst them slid along the ground and tossed a windmill shuriken to Sasuke.

The onyx eyed Uchiha caught it and caught onto the blond haired genin's plan, and threw the windmill shuriken at Zabuza.

Zabuza scoffed as the windmill passed his bunshin and went toward him. He caught it with little effort and began to laugh at the worthless efforts of the genin, when he saw a second shuriken heading his way. He jumped a avoided it, but had the move when the shuriken turned into Naruto, who threw a kunai at his back. Zabuza moved, and ended up freeing Kakashi. The fight was on.

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

"Senai Jashuu!" two snakes shot towards the masked nin, but never reached their target as senbon needles pierced through them.

"How long will this go on, hunter-kun?" asked Anko. "You won't stay still long enough for me to play with you. It's okay though, I do love a good chase." She licked a kunai and set off quickly at the nin, stabbing, kicking, and punching, but all of her attacks were swiftly dodged or blocked.

He landed on a branch and Anko paused on the ground beneath him. "My my. Skilled for one so young. I wonder how long you can run for?" Asked Anko. The younger ninja began to back up warily on a branch, and she smiled happily.

"Ah, watch out for the snake there!" she said suddenly, and laughed when the ninja barely dodged a snake that was hanging from the branches. "For someone so skilled, you should be more aware of your surroundings."

"Snake-san. You also must be aware." said the hunter nin from behind her. Her eyes widened as she felt several senbon stab into her from behind, but she dissolved into a mud clone.

"Well that was interesting. You certainly have some speed." said Anko, who was lounging on a branch with a dango stick. "But...there's one problem with all of this." She leaned forward with a gleam in her eye. "I still haven't heard your scream."

Just as she was about to jump down and resume her attack, they heard the rush of water, and a huge torrent came and smashed into the trees. Both of them turned to see Kakashi cornering Zabuza against a tree. Before Kakashi could strike however, the hunter ninja had thrown senbon at Kakashi to force him to back away, and jumped down to get Zabuza. In seconds, they were gone.

Kakashi sat down, exhausted. The genin ran up to him with Tazuna and Anko soon landed there as well. "Well, seems this fight is over for now." said Kakashi.

Anko nodded her head in agreement. "Seems so." She looked at the genin for a moment to make sure they were alright. "Well, I had fun. Hopefully we see them again sometime soon!"

The others stared at her incredulously, but she didn't seem to notice. Kakashi fell backwards onto the ground, and Sakura shouted out, "Kakashi-sensei! Are you okay?"

Anko took a step forward and pushed the frightened girl away, looking carefully at the older jounin. "Ah, well, he seems alright. Looks like you got some chakra exhaustion you one eyed freak. Nothing sake and dango won't fix."

Kakashi chuckled weakly at her attitude. "I used the Sharingan for too long. Zabuza isn't a bad fighter." He looked at the worried faces on his genin team and smiled."Don't worry. Anko right. Except for the Sake and Dango part. I just really need some rest."

"What are you talking about? Seriously, your drinking some sake when we get some whether you like it or not." Anko looked towards Tazuna. "Now, why don't you lead us to your home? Naruto, you carry Kakashi."

"What? But he's twice my size!" argued Naruto.

Anko rounded on him with a cheery smile. "Consider it training." She looked towards the others, and then turned back to Tazuna. She brought her hand up and pointed forward sharply. "Now, Onward!"

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

**End of CHAPTER 6**

_Some notes for readers after my month long break of writing._

Also—I want everyone to realize something about this story, which I supposed I misled people in. Kurenai & Anko won't be deeply involved with Naruto for a long time. In fact, book 2 (of 3) will have little to no romance. As um.. Fehiz said in a review, _"Though, I am not a fan of harem, but you don't seem to have too much emphasis on that. (Just Anko and Kurenai fun. XD)"_This is true. It's NOT emphasized. Book 1 is primarily playful and not serious, and it won't be until book 3 comes around that the true relationships start. So if your reading the story because its Naruto/Anko/Kur, you might want to wait a while, or just not read at all.

Ummm what else? Naruto's strength will be made evident in a few chapters, and it will rapidly increase from then on. The story results in what most consider 'Powerful Naruto' by book 2/3 (I think he's already damn powerful, but eh, things get way up there when Jiraiya trains him). I think thats it, even though I have the distinct feeling I set out to right this AN with an entirely different purpose...


	7. Victory at Naruto Bridge

Disclaimer– "The only cure for writer's block is insomnia." -Merit Antares.

The Maelstrom of Konoha**-1.07**

**The Tale of a Young Boy's Ascent into the Legends**

_So far, it seems I have...at least 6 to 7 more chapters of Book 1. I'll be finishing them quickly though, since I've resolved to not take any more 'month long breaks' Like December 07. I'll be updating as regularly as possible too. -Cantor_

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

It was hours later that the group found themselves following Tazuna through the dimly lit streets towards his house. They hadn't been in the village for long before Tazuna stopped at a small home with a dock not too far off in front of it. It was a comfortable looking home, somewhat isolated from other houses nearby, but close enough where they weren't entirely separated from the villagers.

Tazuna motioned for them to be quiet, so as to not wake up his grandson, and he opened the door for them. They walked into the warm room quickly, grateful to get out of the cold that had crept up on them as night came. They all quickly took a seat, and Naruto put Kakashi down in the chair next to him with a relieved sigh.

Moments later, a middle aged woman with dark hair a cheerful look came into the room, smiling when she saw Tazuna. "Father!" she greeted happily. "I was so worried! I'm glad you're okay!" She hurried up to the man and hugged him tightly, too glad to even notice the Konoha ninja sitting at her table. When she saw them, she gave a small jump and bowed to them. "Oh! I'm so sorry, I hadn't noticed you. I am Tsunami, Tazuna's daughter."

Tazuna smiled himself, his usual grumpiness seeming to have left him. "Tsunami, I'd like you to meet the Konoha ninja that helped me get here. The white haired one is Kakashi. He's leading the group, but he's a little out of it from some trouble we had. The woman here is Anko, who is the same rank as Kakashi, although she's actually here as backup. and the three runts here are Kakashi's students. The dark haired one is Sasuke, the pink haired one is Sakura, and the blond shorty is Naruto.

Naruto, who had his head slumped down onto the table, and his eyes closed, would have spoken out against being called short again, but he was too tired from carrying Kakashi the entire time and he didn't feel up to it. _'Still, wouldn't mind socking him in the face.'_

Tsunami bowed to them with a smile, unaware of Naruto's thoughts. "It's a pleasure to meet you, and thank you for helping my father," she said. She straightened and studied them all carefully. "I'm sure you're all tired, but before I show you all to a place for you to sleep, could I interest any of you in anything to eat? We don't have much, but surely even a little will be better than nothing."

Anko decided to finally speak up, and for once she sounded serious. "Well first I think giving cyclops here somewhere to rest would be a good idea. And I for one am a little hungry, so anything you can whip up would be wonderful."

She gave Naruto a look, and glanced back at Kakashi with a nod, silently telling him to pick the older man up. With a sigh, he reached over and put Kakashi over his shoulders, but was surprised when Anko helped him. When he looked up at her curiously, she snorted and looked away.

"Don't want you dropping him like an idiot." she explained. Now...someone needs to get Kakashi's stuff. She turned back to the other two genin. "Broody boy," she said to Sasuke. "Get your panties out of a bunch and carry Kakashi's stuff so we can settle him down for the night. The quicker we do that the quicker we eat, the quicker we get to bed ourselves, yada yada yada."

She ignored Sasuke's glare as she walked carrying Kakashi with Naruto. Tsunami lead them to a large room, and they laid Kakashi there and put him into his bag. Tazuna came moments later with some more blankets for all of them to use in case they were cold. That done, they headed back to the kitchen and finally got some food into their stomachs before retiring for the night.

Unfortunately for Naruto, or as he slowly had begun to think, _fortunately_, Anko still didn't have her own bag to sleep in. Still, he tried to put up a bit of a fight to keep the woman away from him that night, even after she brought out her snakes he kept arguing, until finally he relented when she told him how poisonous the snake on her arm was. He moved aside and allowed Anko to get under the sheets. While he got comfortable again, Anko teased him a little by whispering, "You know, I got to admit, I like a man who puts up a fight."

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Naruto woke late that morning, and rolled over to find that Anko was already awake and out of the room. He looked around the room to find that only Kakashi was still sleeping—everyone else was gone. He sat up and stretched, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, and after getting ready for the day, he walked downstairs to see everyone in the kitchen, enjoying breakfast.

Tsunami turned from her cooking to see Naruto enter the room. "Good morning. Naruto, was it?" Not even waiting for an answer from him, she went on. "Would you like something to eat?"

He nodded and carefully sat at the table across from Anko, thanking Tsunami politely as she handed him a plate with his breakfast. Sakura was sitting next to Anko, directly across from Sasuke, who was next to Naruto. Nobody seemed to be paying each other much mind, except for Sakura—she was busy staring at Sasuke, and occasionally asking him stupid, pointless questions as they all ate.

Anko looked over at Tazuna, who was sitting at the head of the table. "Although our mission is to help you build the bridge, I'm afraid we can't help you do that just yet. Kakashi still needs to rest and recover from chakra exhaustion, and I can't cover you from both Zabuza and his little friend at the same time. Right now these brats aren't up to taking them on either...even if our little Naru-kun did do some things right."

Tazuna nodded, not taking his eyes off of his food. "I figured as much. I suppose I can wait a few days before I start on the bridge again. But what will you do while Kakashi is out? Guard the house?"

"Well that, yes, but more importantly I will be working out a training method with Kakashi when he wakes up. He'll be strong enough to move, just not quickly or be able to do much as far as ninja techniques go for a few days. We'll be taking these brats out and helping them strengthen up, so the fight will be easier next time."

Just as she finished speaking a bleary eyed Kakashi stumbled into the room. they all turned to look at him as he leaned against the wall, breathing a little heavy from the exertion. He noticed their looks, and he raised his hand to wave, his single visible eye crinkling into that familiar shape that they all understood a a smile. "Good morning! Where is my Icha icha?"

They all facefaulted, but Anko was quick to recover. "Kakashi! wonderful for you join us!" She walked up to him and put her arms around his shoulders. "Why don't you sit down and we have a little chat while you eat? maybe afterwards I'll give this little book back to you..." She dipped her hand into her coat pocket and pulled out the book, only to have to keep it out of his reach when he grasped for it.

"Well now, do you think you can walk, cyclops? Or are you blind and immobile? Well, either way, the little cute genin have to get some training done today, and maybe for the next few days. Then afterwards we'll let Tazuna get out of the house and continue building."

Kakashi nodded dumbly having sat down, but still staring at the book in her hands. "I was thinking of some tree walking. Naruto for one has horrible chakra control. Out of all of them, he needs the most improvement in that area."

Anko nodded in agreement, though she didn't voice her thoughts. '_Not after what Kurenai-chan put him through he doesn't. The brat's chakra manipulation is much better..."_

Naruto scowled, but kept quiet when Anko glanced at him. He knew she knew that he wasn't bad, but he hated how Kakashi underestimated him constantly. Either way, he'd prove him wrong soon, and he'd take a lot of pleasure in doing so.

Anko put a finger to her chin and mocked thinking. "Alright Kakashi-kun," she consented. "Why don't we take them right outside and practice, so we can keep an eye on the house and them at the same time? I noticed some pretty big trees when we came here last night."

After everyone had finished eating and getting ready for the day, none of which took very long, the five of them, Anko, Kakashi, Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke, headed outside. Anko lead them towards the trees she had in mind as Kakashi explained to them the concept of treewalking.

"Alright. Well I'm sure the three of you, well at least two of you learned the leaf chakra exercise in the academy. The treewalking exercise has the same concept, but it requires chakra manipulation skills on a much higher level. Basically, you three will be climbing trees, without your hands."

He allowed himself to chuckle at their incredulous looks and went on. "You'll be focusing your chakra to the soles of your feet, and use the properties of the chakra to adhere to the trunk of the tree as you walk up it, like this." Kakashi approached the tree and slowly walked up, smiling at the amazed looks he got—well except for Anko's. She put the amazed look on her face just to annoy him.

The three of them were told to use a kunai to mark their progress, and Kakashi got down and rested against another tree to observe their progress. Not 10 minutes later, their positions were switched, and he was the one who was amazed. His predictions were entirely wrong. Sakura had managed to climb the tree on her first try. That in itself was weird and it amazed him, but after thinking about it, he realized that she found it easier because of her tiny chakra reserves, which didn't require much effort to control. The big surprise was when Naruto climbed up without any problems on his second try. His explanation for Sakura's success didn't apply to him, as Naruto had a lot of chakra for his age, and adding Kyuubi into the mix...Kakashi wasn't sure how Naruto managed his chakra at all.

Sasuke was a surprise as well, although not in the same way as Sakura and Naruto. Kakashi had assumed that the Uchiha would grasp the concept easily, but it was proving to be the exact opposite. Sasuke only showed gradual progress, and was now only just reaching 10 feet off the ground. It would be awhile before he caught up with Naruto and Sakura.

Anko on the other hand, wasn't surprised at all, having already known Naruto would do well. Sakura was a bit of an upset, but she reached the same conclusion as Kakashi. She winked at Naruto with a friendly smile for once, and turned towards Kakashi.

"Well, I suppose since Naruto and pinky have mastered it, I could teach them something else, and you can help the Uchiha with his lack of skill in manipulating chakra. Ignoring Sasuke's menacing glare, she gestured to the other two genin. "Follow me you two."

Naruto jumped down and happily began to follow Anko down the path returning towards the house, and Sakura cast one look back at the furious Uchiha before also jumping down to catch up with the snake mistress.

Anko thought to herself while the two genin fell in behind her.

She stopped a few paces from Tazuna's house, and turned around abruptly, startling the two genin. "Alright!" she barked. "I'm going to be honest. I have no idea what jutsu to teach to you pinky, and the taijutsu I have planned for Naruto doesn't suit you, while the basic taijutsu you already know. So, considering the fact that you happen to be a brainy kid, and you're good with chakra control, you're probably decent with genjutsu.

Sakura nodded, unsure of how accurate Anko's assumption was. Sakura also realized after a moment that although Anko said she was probably good at it, Sakura didn't know any genjutsu. "Um, But I don't know any genjutsu yet...Anko"

"Anko-_sensei,_you pink harpy."

Sakura scowed while Naruto laughed, but she remained silent and chose to seethe on the inside.

"Alright. I will teach you a genjutsu then. Or, I can teach you how to boost your speed with chakra. It's up to you. As for you," she rounded on Naruto. "I'll be teaching you some taijutsu, like I promised, and maybe a few ninjutsu. So make some Kage bunshin and let's get started."

This pattern continued for the rest of the week while Kakashi recuperated. They would head out, Sasuke would practice treewalking and Kakashi would observe, often times offering tips. Anko would take Sakura and have her practice several low level genjutsu, and eventually got her started on water-walking. Once Sakura started walking walking practice, Anko began to take Naruto aside farther away and have him practice taijutsu and a ninjutsu at the same time. For Naruto, this turned into period of fast growth for him. Hi quickly perfected any flaws his academy taijutsu had, and went on into Anko's serpentine taijutsu, which involved waiting for the enemy to over extend themselves as you dodged, and then to strike quickly, at a pressure point before following up with a finish, just like a snake. His only problem with this taijutsu was the required flexibility, but he managed nonetheless.

The ninjutsu she taught helped amazingly also. Anko helped him learn the basics of speeding his movements up with chakra, and after she tested his chakra affiliations, which turned out to be air, followed shortly by water, he began to learn saikuron no jutsu (Cyclone), which created a small cyclone to send after an enemy. Unfortunately, it wasn't very controllable once began, and somewhat easy to dodge. He also quickly picked up Kage Shuriken, to compliment his Kage bunshin. Anko had hinted that she was saving another jutsu for him in case he managed to impress her by learning the first two, and so Naruto found himself working on them fervently, eager to squeeze at least one more jutsu out of the snake mistress.

When Naruto had the opportunities, he found himself sneaking off alone to train in the immolation technique, which so far, he had finally managed to at least cover his chest and shoulders. Ideally he would have covered his hands, but he couldn't seem to do the jutsu properly. He settled for what he had though, figuring someone fighting him in hand to hand would burn themselves trying to hit him while he was like this.

It was during one of these times when a pretty girl came upon Naruto. He looked up and saw her staring at him, her basket half full of different herbs she'd been picking in the area.

"Are you a ninja?" she asked abruptly.

Naruto puffed out his chest. "Yep! I'm a ninja from Konoha!" he pointed towards his hitaite with the leaf symbol. "My team's here to protect an old man. Recently we've just been training though, since there are some other ninja's in the area. Be careful too. They aren't exactly friendly." he warned.

She giggled, and answered him with a smile. "I'll keep that in mind, Mr. ninja. Tell me, why do you train to be so strong?"

"To be Hokage!" Naruto answered. "I want everyone to acknowledge my strength and my existence!"

Haku nodded, but went on. "You don't have anyone special to protect though? Someone you would give your own life for?"

Naruto stared at her, dumbstruck. "Someone to protect...?" he murmured.

Haku laughed again, and put her hand on his arm. "Yes. Someone you care for so deeply, that you'd do anything for. I have someone like this. And it is why, I regrettably must do this."

She suddenly pulled out a kunai, and stabbed it into Naruto, whose eyes shot wide open in shock and pain. "What...?" he gasped out weakly.

Haku leaned in closer, and kissed him on the cheek. "I'm so sorry. But for Zabuza, I must do this." She kicked him hard, forcing his body off of her kunai, and he was sent crashing into the tree behind him. He struggled to remain conscious, but he only managed to see Haku wipe her blade on a cloth before darkness took him.

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He woke up, hours later, and it was dark. Blood had stained his clothes, and his once orange jacket was now crimson red. He ignored the Kyuubi's rants as he checked himself over. The kunai wound had already closed, thanks to the Kyuubi, and everything seemed to be moving fine.

He pulled himself upward, pushing against the tree, and worked out the stiffness in his muscles. Before he began the walk back to the house to tell the team the news—Haku knew where they were. And they shouldn't stray too far from the house.

Kakashi and Anko agreed, and he managed to get the blood out of his clothes with Tsunami's help. Whenever someone left the house, at least one of them accompanied the other, or two of them if it was one of Tazuna's relatives. Other than that one incident, the days went without incident, and passed quickly. Kakashi had made a full recovery, while helping Sasuke in many respects. The Uchiha had mastered tree walking finally, and had also managed, with the help of Kakashi, to awaken his Sharingan. Needless to say, Sasuke's jutsu repertoire had expanded immensely, and the Uchiha carried himself around even more proudly now.

Sakura had mastered tree walking, as well as several simple genjutsu, but other than that she had mainly been working on stamina and building her chakra reserves, which didn't seem to be going along smoothly.

Inari had ridiculed Naruto and his team for their efforts, but Naruto quickly solved the problem, effectively telling the boy to suck it up and stop wallowing in his own self pity. Since that incident, Inari had come to respect Naruto, and apologized for his earlier remarks.

They decided that they would finally allow Tazuna to start building the bridge again, and so the four Konoha nin set out as an escort for the older man. Of course, when they got there, they had expected to find Tazuna's workers, not a heavy mist hiding Zabuza and his apprentice.

"I expected you sooner, Copy-cat Kakashi."

"I hope we didn't keep you waiting long." said Kakashi, as he put his book away. "It won't go like last time, Zabuza."

"No, it won't. This time I'll finish you...all of you. The bridge builder, you, the snake bitch, and your cute little genin team. Haku, take care of the genin for me, and quickly. I'll handle the jounin."

With that, the fight was on. Haku sped towards the genin, who braced themselves, but Sasuke moved to intercept them. As Haku and Sasuke fought, everyone was surprised that Sasuke not only kept up with Haku's speed, but, because of the Sharingan Kakashi had helped him awaken, he also managed to get plenty of blows in on Zabuza's apprentice.

"Seems you've met your match in speed Haku. Maybe you should step it up a little," said Zabuza. He turned towards the two Konoha Jounin. "Now, I think we should start ourselves as well."

Off to the side, Naruto made several Kage bunshin to guard Tazuna with Sakura as Sasuke dodged several ice needles thrown by Haku's jutsu.

Anko spoke to Kakashi out of the side of her mouth, her eyes never leaving the missing nin in front of them. "Normally I'd go help the genin, but I have a feeling it might be better to finish this eyebrow freak off quickly first."

At Kakashi's nod, Anko raised her hand and sent several snakes towards the Jounin. "Senai jashuu!"

Zabuza dodged and had to quickly block Kakashi, who had charged up with a kunai. "I have a feeling I'll have some fun with this fight," said Zabuza as he heaved on his sword and shoved Kakashi away. "Kirigakure no jutsu!" Zabuza's voice echoed from the mist. 'Haku realized that the way to beat you is to simply take away your eyes, Kakashi. Now, let's see how you do against my Muon Satsujin Jutsu (silent killing technique)."

Kakashi and Anko found themselves back to back as the mist got thicker and thicker, hiding everything from sight. Anko laughed. "Well, I think this will be fun. I have a plan, cyclops."

Kakashi looked at her questioningly, and she smirked widely, before laying her plan out.

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Sasuke grunted and fell backwards when Haku finally managed to get past his defenses and get a solid hit at his stomach. "Those eyes. Are they a doujutsu?"

The Uchiha smirked, and decided to taunt the ice using missing nin. "They're the bloodline limit of the Uchiha, the Sharingan. No one can beat me when I have these eyes. Every move you make I already know beforehand."

"I see. Then It seems I will have to use my bloodline limit as well." said Haku, as she raised his hands and mirrors of ice began to form. "This is my Demonic Ice Mirrors technique." said Haku as she stepped into the one next to her, causing her image to be reflected on all the mirrors. "Let's see whose bloodline is better."

Soon Sasuke found himself dodging left and right to avoid the senbon that Haku threw from inside the ice mirrors. He found that even with the Sharingan, it was difficult to see her flying in between the mirrors at insane speeds—but he could do it. Thinking up a plan, he called up chakra into his lungs. "Gokakyu no jutsu!"

The gigantic fireball managed to singe Haku, but only barely, and the flames had no effect on the ice surrounding them. Unfortunately, taking the time to accurately use the grand fireball technique had given Haku a clean shot with several senbon needles.

"I have coated those senbon with a drug that will make your brain have difficulty functioning. You'll find your coordination is much worse at the moment."

Just then Naruto showed up, and unfortunately, he didn't have the ability to see Haku flying in between the mirrors. His eyes simply wouldn't keep up. "What are you doing here Naruto!" yelled Sasuke, as he dodged senbons and shoved Naruto out of the way, taking the hits instead.

Naruto looked up, and saw that Sasuke was stumbling where he stood, a testament to the strength and pace of the drug in Haku's senbon.

"You idiot," snarled Sasuke. "Things were going smoothly!" Seconds later, Sasuke crumbled to the ground, too weak to get his stubborn muscles to move. The drug had already spread throughout his body.

The kyuubi's laughter filled Naruto's ears at Sasuke's words. "**Yes, the little brat has caused his teammate to die on a mission. How pathetic. How does it feel to know that you are the reason the Uchiha clan will be gone from Konoha?"**

"My fault..." muttered Naruto, ignoring as several senbon pierced his body. "Sasuke..." he spared his team mate a glance—he was laying on the ground, pincushioned by senbon. A pool of blood was steadily collecting from the many wounds the senbon had left. "You BASTARD!" screamed Naruto, facing one of Haku's mirrors.

"Mourning for your comrade? Is this the first time you have faced death?" asked Haku, her voice devoid of emotion. "I'm sorry. I don't enjoy killing, but for Zabuza-sama I will kill my emotions and become ruthless."

Anger flooded into Naruto and he drew deeply on his chakra, far deeper than he would normally go. He would crush Haku, and make her pay for killing his comrade. As the rage built in a torrent, red filled his eyes and a sweet, addicting chakra flooded into his body, so much so that it formed outside of him, swirling around in a storm.

"You'll pay for this..." growled Naruto. He drew back his arm and lashed out with his chakra, not even bothering to call a jutsu out, and smashed the ice mirror to bits. Haku flew quickly to another mirror, barely managing to dodge the blow. _'He's gotten stronger. What is this chakra?'_

Naruto turned to face another mirror. Had he been thinking clearly before, he probably would have chosen the Berserkeru no jutsu, to give himself the speed and strength, but this time, he wanted to burn Haku, to make her scream for the pain he caused him by killing Sasuke.

"Shoushin no jutsu! (Immolation technique)" Immediately Naruto's entire body was surrounded by flame, mush as the red fox's chakra had been surrounding him body. The flames did not hurt him, but he could tell that the flame was hot, and he stared at his hand for a moment, amazed by the warmth he felt, when he knew that the flames were scorching hot to anyone else.

He turned to a shocked Haku, and charged once again, lashing out with his fists and the chakra, hitting anything he could. During it, he found he could control the flames to a certain extent—force a tendril of flame to swipe away from his body, much as he could manipulate the fox's chakra. In seconds, all the Demonic ice Mirrors were smashed, and Haku, bloody, burnt, and nearly unconscious, was flung out by the force of the blow, far over the water. As she saw the water coming closer and closer, she shut her eyes and prayed, _'Please work.'_

Naruto landed at the edge of the bridge to look over, but he couldn't see the water below through the thick layer of mist. As he realized that the height of the bridge would make the fall something akin to suicide, he felt his anger fading, and with it his demonic chakra. The warmth of the Shoushin fled too, and soon Naruto was standing staring at emptiness, shocked at killing Haku.

Naruto turned when he heard a familiar "Senai jashuu!".

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Fight scene, Anko, Zabuza, Kakashi.

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As the mist faded, Naruto could make out the form of many snakes on the ground surrounding Zabuza, as well as several snakes biting onto the missing nin, holding him in place. In front of Zabuza stood Kakashi. Kakashi gripped his wrist tightly with his left hand and shouted, "Raikiri!". Abruptly his hand was surrounded with an electric glow chirping brightly with energy before he plunged his hand deep into Zabuza's chest, and then kicked him off onto the ground. Zabuza lay there, struggling to breathe.

"That's all? The frightening demon fought more like a child." said Gato, interrupting the fight. "Well—It doesn't matter. I never intended on paying you anyway. Luckily, it seems like everyone is tired now, and I brought some help with me to take care of you trash."

Zabuza snarled. "You were going to betray us all along?" His chest was a bloody mess from Kakashi's Raikiri.

"Well, yes. That is why I chose missing nin for the job. Nobody complains when I get rid of them. Now, where is that little girl that follows you around?" Gato looked around for Haku. "She broke my arm, and I'll take pleasure in seeing her die. Maybe some of my men will enjoy her first though."

"You bastard!" screamed Naruto, pulling out a kunai and charging at the despicable old business man. He was stopped however, by Zabuza.

"Stop it kid. Kakashi, Anko. You two fought well, and I'd love to continue normally, but it seems my time has come. Let me at least deal with this old man for his betrayal—and insulting Haku's memory. I couldn't give her quite the life she deserved. Now, if you'll release me..."

Anko's snakes dispersed, and Zabuza hefted his sword, ignoring the gaping hole in his body. He glared at Gato, who stood there smirking. At least, until Zabuza began to charge, his wounds seemingly not affecting him at all.

The Konoha team looked on as Zabuza tore through the crowd of thugs, until he reached Gato, where he decapitated him swiftly with his large sword, before both of them fell off the edge of the bridge and into the water below, just as Haku had moments before.

Gato's men turned towards the Konoha nin angrily. There meal ticket had been taken from them. Now they'd have to deal with this ninjas and take their due from the village. Unfortunately, the villagers had shown up, roused by Inari, and scared them off easily. The thugs turned tail and ran back to their boat, eager to get away from such a hard fight and instead find easier pickings.

Tazuna walked up to the Konoha nin, who had gathered near Naruto. "Thank you. For everything" he said, bowing to them. They said their goodbyes, to Tazuna, Tsunami, and Inari, all the while accepting the grateful thanks of the villagers, before picking up Sasuke and walked off the bridge, which they later found out would be named after Naruto for inspiring Inari, and they made their way back to Konoha.

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**End of CHAPTER 7**

Sorry if I made anyone mad at how I went back and revised this chapter to change Haku's fate from "going to Konoha with Team 7, to 'falls of a bridge to a watery death" I forgot that I originally had planned for Haku end up like that in this fight. I have a reason for it. Wait a few chapters to find out why. That's all I'm going to say, and probably the only plot twist I'll point out, since I had to go back to do it.


	8. Chuunin Exam Begins

Disclaimer– "Fiction writing is great, you can make up almost anything." -Ivana Trump after 1st novel.

The Maelstrom of Konoha**-1.08**

**The Tale of a Young Boy's Ascent into the Legends**

_I want to thank everyone who has reviewed my story so far. It is what motivates me to write better and to write more, and it certainly makes writing more enjoyable when you know what your writing is enjoyed by others as well. So, to everyone who has reviewed, thank you. -Cantor_

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Their trip back to Konoha was relatively peaceful, and while Sasuke had woken up not long after the fight, much to everyone's relief, Naruto still felt sick from killing Haku. It was his first kill. He ended up brooding almost as much as Sasuke did, and his smile all but disappeared. Sakura didn't truly notice the change in behavior, and was actually quite thankful for it, but for Anko and Kakashi, it was a different story.

"Sakura. Sasuke." both genin turned to face Kakashi. "Would you two walk up ahead for a moment? Anko and I need to speak with Naruto."

The two genin nodded and picked up their pace, leaving Naruto with the two Jounin. He ignored them, or tried to at least.

"Naruto." Kakashi put his hand on Naruto's shoulder. Kakashi may have made some mistakes with Naruto in the past, but he was not about to let himself make a mistake now. A genin on his team had made their first true kill, and he'd be damned if he didn't help the kid through this. "You may not feel like talking about this, but what happened at the bridge... this is something that a shinobi must face. Death is a part of all shinobi, Naruto, and there will be situations where even if you don't want you, you'll have to steel yourself for the sake of the mission. You did what you had to do, and if you hadn't..." Kakashi trailed off, not wanting to think about one of his students actually dying.

Naruto finally looked at Kakashi, but it wasn't the look the older man was hoping for. It was a full blown glare. "I didn't _have_ to kill her. She wasn't about to kill me. But I wanted...I wanted to hurt her...so badly...and it felt so good..."

Anko spoke up, speaking gently for once. "You have nothing to feel ashamed of or guilty about, brat. You were mad because you thought she killed Sasuke, and it the feeling you had wasn't because you enjoyed killing her, it was because you enjoyed avenging you comrade, and his memory. Don't get the two confused."

Naruto nodded, staying silent, but the two Jounin could tell that he was still not comfortable with the situation.

"Naruto, nobody will ever tell you that being a shinobi is an easy thing. Grief will follow you through life unless you find a way to deal with it, and the first step towards learning to deal with it is recognizing that you did not kill without reason. You killed because you had to. Either for protecting yourself, or your friends," Anko took him by the shoulder and pulled him to face her. "Now, promise us you'll think about what we said, and if you want to talk to one of us, feel free to ask."

Naruto nodded, and was surprised when Anko pulled him in for a hug, which he returned awkwardly. When they separated, Kakashi was gone, having already left to catch up with Sakura and Sasuke. Anko and Naruto were silent for a few moments before Naruto let out a tiny "Thanks."

Anko smiled and grabbed his hand. "No problem. Now let's catch up with the others.

They traveled like that for another four days before they were back at Konoha, and when the village's huge gates came into view, Naruto couldn't help but cheer and run ahead towards the village. They hurried together as a group to report to the Old man, and share the details of the mission.

"Hmm. So Momochi Zabuza is dead then?" asked the Hokage.

"Hai. He, his apprentice, as well as Gato were all dead by the end of the mission. Unfortunately, I did not retrieve the body for the bounty." answered Kakashi.

"I see. I will send a small team to scout the area for his body to collect the bounty within Mist. Now, I'm expecting a full written report on my desk tomorrow, Kakashi. Anko, you will also submit one yourself. As for you, team 7." He sent a hard look at them, making them all wonder if they were in trouble, but the Old man's face suddenly broke out into a huge smile. "I couldn't be more pleased with you and how well you handled this mission. I want you to know that I have high hopes for this team in the future."

With that, they were dismissed, and Naruto turned towards his teammates. "Want to get something to eat to celebrate?" The two other genin looked at each other, and when Sasuke shrugged, the decision was made. Naruto found himself sitting at Ichiraku's to celebrate, Sasuke and Sakura in alongside him.

The old man turned from wiping a dish clean to see Naruto and his team. "Hey Naruto! Long time no see! What will it be?"

"A one of everything! And for my friends..." he turned towards the other two and let them order. The old man nodded and began to work, letting team 7 talk.

Naruto turned towards Sasuke and Sakura with a grin. "Can you believe it? Not only were we allowed to do a C rank, but it turned into an A ranked mission, and we're still only genin! I bet the other teams haven't done that yet!"

Sasuke smirked, and Sakura shared her own smile. "Hn. I doubt many other teams could handle it."

"We did have Anko too though." commented Sakura. "She's a really strong kunoichi."

"Sakura." The pink haired girl turned to Sasuke quickly.

"Yes, Sasuke-kun?"

"What exactly did she teach you?

"I can show you, if you want, Sasuke-kun. We could go train together," '_and then later we'll have a date!'_ Sakura smiled, a plan to get Sasuke alone with her already in the works.

"Hn. maybe after we eat."

'_CHA! Love prevails!'_

"Oi, Naruto!" shouted a voice behind them. Team 7 turned around to see Kiba along with the rest of team 8 walking their way. "You're back from your mission? How was it?"

"We had a C-rank, Kiba! But it turned out to be an even higher rank than that!" said Naruto.

"What?" exclaimed Kiba. "Stop lying, Naruto. Even team 8 hasn't been allowed to do a C rank, and we're clearly stronger than team 7. You're dead last, remember?"

Naruto stood up and got in Kiba's face. "Take that back!"

"I'd like to see you make me," snarled Kiba.

Naruto drew his fist back, but felt someone grab his fist. He turned to see Sasuke there, his eyes closed. "Enough, Naruto. Kiba, we _did_ have that mission. And we're not lying. If you have a problem, take it up with me." Sasuke finally opened up his eyes, revealing his Sharingan, and Kiba flinched back in shock.

"Sharingan? You have it now?" he asked.

"Yes. Still want to have that fight?" asked Sasuke.

Kiba said nothing, but stayed silent. Sasuke took this to mean a no, and turned back to his Ramen. Sakura looked on in awe. '_Sasuke-kun is so cool!'_

An uneasy tension filled the air afterwards, and Hinata decided to finally try and dispel some of it. "n-Naruto-kun… what was the m-mission l-like?

Everyone at the ramen stand turned towards Naruto in anticipation of the story, and Naruto smiled at the attention he was receiving. "Of course I'll tell you how Uzumaki Naruto triumphed in Wave, Hinata. Now we managed to get the C-rank from the Hokage after..."

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The Jounin teachers of Konoha all stood in a large room they'd been called to for a meeting. For once, Kakashi was on time. It seemed he was regretting it though, judging by the way he kept trying to get away from Gai, only to be pulled back and challenged to some sort of...well, whatever that was, Kurenai didn't want to know.

Asuma saw her and walked up to her. "Do you know what this meeting is about?"

She shook her head, and he sighed. "I have a suspicion, but I'm not sure."

Kurenai looked at him, waiting for him to go on, but he just raised his eyebrow. "You want something?"

"Are you going to tell me, or not?"

"Nah. I'll let you suffer."

She elbowed him in the ribs when he started chuckling, and he let out a grunt. "Jerk."

Asuma opened his mouth to speak, but fell silent as the Hokage finally walked in. Just like that, the entire room fell silent. The Hokage looked around the room at the gathered Jounin and took the pipe from his mouth. "I'm sure many of you are wondering why I called you here. I'm also sure many of you have already guessed." He looked at some of the glances cast around from the different Jounin, and smiled. "It seems it is Konoha's turn to host the Chuunin exams, and as such, I have called you all together to see which teams will be submitted into the exam. For a team to compete, it must have the permission of their sensei, as well as the willingness of the entire team. Now, we will be starting with this year's rookie teams. Yuuhi Kurenai, Hatake Kakashi, and Sarutobi Asuma, please step forward."

All three walked up in front of the desk the Hokage was seated at.

"You three are the Jounin sensei of this year's genin. Do any of you want to nominate your teams for the exams?"

Kakashi stepped forward. "I, Hatake Kakashi, nominate team 7, consisting of Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto, and Haruno Sakura, for the upcoming Chuunin exams.

There were murmurs around the room after that. Not many rookie genin were allowed in the Chuunin exams. It just wasn't done. What was Kakashi playing at?

Next was Kurenai. "I, Yuuhi Kurenai, nominate team 8, consisting of Hyuuga Hinata, Aburame Shino, and Inuzuka Kiba, for the upcoming Chuunin exams."

The murmurs increased. TWO rookie genin teams? This wasn't heard of! The Chuunin exams weren't a joke to put rookies through!

"I guess I don't got a choice, do I? Can't have these two," he jerked a thumb at Kurenai and Kakashi, "showing my team up. Ah well. I, Sarutobi Asuma, nominate team 10, consisting of Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru, and Akimichi Chouji, for the upcoming Chuunin Exams."

There was a huge amount of shouting from the other Jounin, melding together that it seemed like a unified roar of disapproval. Some had been leading genin teams for a while now, and there teams were going through the exam for their third or fourth time, many had purposely restricted their genin team from entering the exam when they were rookies, and to have ALL of the rookie teams entered seemed like a personal affront to their team's hard work.

"QUIET!" shouted the Hokage. "This is not a bar! Show some decency, and respect the decisions of other sensei! You aren't leading there teams. However, I understand the concern. Because of this, I will have Iruka hold a preliminary examination to test the rookie genin. If they pass, they will be allowed to enter. "

The room quieted, and soon the Hokage sat back in his chair, returning the pipe to his mouth as he did so. "Now, for the more experienced genins..."

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

It was later that night, long after he had shared his tale of the mission to wave with team 8, that Naruto finally retired to bed. Today had been good. He and Sakura told most of the tale, she about Kakashi and Anko's fight, and he about the mirrors, which managed to impress even his own team with the full story. Although he left out the Kyuubi's chakra, instead just mentioning the immolation technique. Sasuke had immediately demanded to learn that. Not like he'd master it, Naruto has been practicing with Kage bunshin for a long time to get that far.

He put his arms behind his bed as he lay in bed, thinking over everything that had happened. He was getting stronger. There was no doubt about that. He closed his eyes and got comfortable, allowing sleep to take him, and wake up inside the seal.

He sensed more than saw the Kyuubi in the darkness, and he walked closer to the cage. He had not meant to come here—which meant the Kyuubi brought him here for some reason.

"What do you want?" he asked the darkness.

A deep rumbling answered him and suddenly the Kyuubi came into view, some ethereal light allowing him to see further into the darkness. Behind the Kyuubi sat a board with pieces on it—reminding Naruto a little of shogi, but it seemed vastly more complex. "**Welcome to my humble abode**," said the fox.

"You actually have possessions in there?" asked Naruto. '_How is that possible?'_

The fox eyed him. "**Everything in here is a manifestation of the mind. If you will something to be in here, It will pass. Likewise, I have made the seal my domain. In it, if I want something, I can will it into existence. Now...I will admit I am impressed with you."**

"Yours? This is MY mind! Not your 'domain!'" yelled Naruto.

The fox sneered scathingly, or as close to it as it could. "**Then enter the cage. Prove to me it isn't my domain."**

Naruto stood still. _'I can't do that... But that doesn't prove anything!'_

The fox smirked. **"As I said. My domain. That aside, I am proud of your recent accomplishments..."**

"Huh? Naruto couldn't think of anything intelligible to say to that. This isn't how most conversations went with the fox. "Why?"

The fox chuckled, but it sounded more like a harsh barking than anything. "**You have killed, mortal. Slaughtered the girl who you fought. And more—you enjoyed it**."

"Not afterwards!" argued Naruto. "I only felt that because I was using your chakra!"

"**QIUET. You enjoyed it, and we both know it. I can feel what you feel, and I felt you taking pleasure in killing that girl. Using my chakra had nothing to do with it. For that, I decided I will share something with you..."**the fox paused, seeing Naruto was too lost in his own thoughts.

_'I couldn't have enjoyed it...It was the fox! not me!'_

A huge bang awoke him from his thoughts as the fox smashed against the bars of his cage in anger. **"When I speak you will LISTEN, or I will give you NOTHING."**seeing he had the boys attention, he continued. **"You had a taste my chakra that day. I will let you know something as a reward for your first kill. When you use my chakra, you will have the same infinity for fire that I have; which is infinitely more than anyone can obtain through training alone. Practice any flame techniques with my chakra, and gradually your own chakra will better be able to perform the task alone. For instance, you will find your immolation technique has improved, now that you have done it once with my chakra. Now, leave, I am tired."**

"That wasn't much of a hint at all you damn F—"

Naruto had the sudden sensation of being shoved , or falling backwards, before everything was black and he fell into a dreamless sleep.

Once he was gone, Kyuubi turned back to his game. He studied the board carefully before moving a piece.

**"You're move... What will you do?"**

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

Team 7 met the next morning at their usual training grounds. Sakura sat in the shade against a tree as she watched the other two boys train, as was the usual routine. Since Kakashi would be late by hours anyway, Naruto and Sasuke always used the time to train beforehand. For Naruto, he had several Kage bunshin out, working on another technique Anko had shown him; Kaze no Yaiba (wind blades. So far, he couldn't manage it, since it required some good form manipulation.

Sasuke on the other hand, had his Sharingan active and was practicing a technique that Kakashi had apparently shown him. But he wasn't getting anywhere. Frustrated, he went and sat in the shade of a nearby tree.

Sakura walked up over to him, hoping to give him some comfort. "Don't worry, Sasuke-kun. You'll master it eventually, I'm sure!"

Sasuke just ignored her.

Eventually, Kakashi appeared. "Yo!"

Sakura stood up and screeched, "You're late!"

Kakashi took out his ear plugs and answered her, "ah, sorry, sorry. I was about half-way here when I remembered I forgot my earplugs. Now, I have some news for you guys, which I think you'll enjoy…"

That caught their attention. The three genin looked sharply at Kakashi, hanging on his every word.

"I got the new Icha Icha book!" Kakashi smiled as their faces fell.

"WHAT? Why would we care about that you stupid pervert!"

"Woah woah…let's not be hasty now," said Kakashi. "There is other news, but if you don't want to hear it..."

"No! We do!"

"Ah! good! Well, earlier the jounin held a meeting with the Hokage about this upcoming chuunin exams. Genin teams enter the exams in hopes of being promoted to a chuunin. I, of course, nominated you three."

"Yatta!" Naruto jumped up and actually gave Sasuke a high five. A surprising amount of enthusiasm from the Uchiha.

"However!" Kakashi cut the celebrating off sharply. "This exam is no walk in the park. You take it as a team, so you can only take it if all three of you enter. This exam is very difficult, and you will be facing challenges that will truly press you. So I want all three of you to think on this carefully before you turn these slips," he pulled out three forms and handed them to him, "into room 301 at the academy next week at 4pm. If you do not want to enter, then no one will blame you. Think carefully on this. Dismissed!"

Kakashi shunshined away, leaving the three genin to their own thoughts.

Naruto turned and looked at his two team mates. Sasuke was already getting up to leave, but he gave Naruto a confident smirk before leaving. Sakura on the other hand, was still sitting where she was before, staring at the form Kakashi had given her. For once, she didn't chase after Sasuke, and Naruto felt a little concerned. _'For her to forget about Sasuke...'_

He reached over and put a hand on her shoulder, snapping her out of her thoughts as she looked at him. "Sakura...you alright?"

She nodded, and turned back to the form, letting him know he could leave. He didn't, though.

"Sakura, if you're worried about the exam, it's okay. But just so you know, Sasuke and I are both confident in this, and we both think we can pull through this, as a team. I you decide not to though..." Naruto sighed. "That's fine too. Neither of us will hold it against you."

The pink haired girl looked up finally, and gave him a weak smile. "Thank you, Naruto...I'd like to think about this on my own though."

Naruto nodded, and went off to find team 8. If team 7 wasn't practicing, then he might as well train with them a little, and see if they were entering the exams as well.

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

The next week had gone by fast for Naruto. He spent a lot of it training. He could manage an incomplete form of Kaze no Yaiba, which instead of turning into blades made more of a strong gust of wind blast from his hands, and they certainly wouldn't cut anything. They could knock someone over though, or probably help deflect weapons. He'd also found out that if he did that with the immolation technique, it would make the flame extend from his hands with a huge roar. The fox hadn't been lying either, he could perform the immolation technique a little better now…it was almost as if his chakra had muscle memory of what the fox's chakra had done. It wasn't quite how he'd manipulated the flames when he was on the bridge that one time, but it would do. He figured that he'd need the fox's chakra to do much more with fire.

He was talking to Sakura at one point when Konohamaru asked him to play ninja. When Sakura made fun of him and Konohamaru for it, and Konohamaru retorted...one thing led to another. Namely, Konohamaru running away and instead bumping into a sand ninja.

"Hey! what where you're going punk." snarled the sand nin.

Naruto caught up along with Sakura and slowed to a stop. "Put him down."

"I will. Once I teach him a lesson."

Naruto made a shadow clone pop up next to the sand nin, a kunai at his next. "I said put him down."

The sand nin eyed the Kage bunshin before dropping Konohamaru unceremoniously onto the ground. "Fine. You got it."

A girl was behind him carrying a large fan. She punched the Kage bunshin, causing it to disperse. "Come on Kankuro, let's go now."

"No. Whats with these Leaf ninjas? I'm seriously pissed off now." He started walking threateningly towards Naruto, who did a few handseals and used Saikuron no jutsu to send a small whirlwind towards the sandnin, who was pushed back roughly into the older girl. Both of them collapsed onto the ground behind him.

"Thats it I swear! No more screwing around!" yelled Kankuro. He got up again and pulled out the bundle strapped to his back, ready to fight, when a voice interrupted them. "Kankuro. You are a disgrace to our village."

"Wha? Gaara! I'm sorry!" The sand ninja's face, at the sound of other ninja's voice, had taken on a look of pure terror. It was a look that Naruto was not sure he had ever truly seen, except perhaps when his team had faced Zabuza's killing intent for the first time.

"Shut up. I'll kill you."

Naruto looked up to the tree to see a third sand nin hanging upside from a nearby tree with his chakra. He blinked. One second he was there, the next he was materializing out of sand in front of him. He overflowed with malice, almost making Naruto step back for a minute, but he was reminded of the killing intent of the kyuubi, and he was able to swat away this ninja's like nothing.

"I apologize for them." said the ninja called Gaara. "I am Sabaku no Gaara."

"Uzumaki Naruto."

"Will you be in the Chuunin Exams?"

"Yes. You?"

"Yes. I will see you there. I look forward to fighting you, Uzumaki Naruto."

He turned and walked away, and the two other nins looked at Naruto cautiously before following Gaara. Naruto smiled and went to play ninja with Konohamaru, leaving Sakura there in the street, wondering just what happened.

The highlight of the week however, although he'd never admit it, was when Anko showed up with Kurenai, and they had lunch together, Kurenai's treat. Evidently Anko had won some sort of favor from Kurenai, and she was making the red eyed Jounin pay for lunch. Naruto grinned to himself as secretly played with the idea that he was dating these beautiful women while he sat at the booth with them in the barbecue restaurant. Of course, having these thoughts hadn't made Anko's seductive teasing any easier to handle.

As they ate, Naruto spent most of the time sneaking glances at either of the two Jounin as he and Anko told the story about the mission to Wave to Kurenai. Needless to say, Kurenai was impressed with how well team 7 handled things.

"Ah, speaking of which, I think our share of the bounty will be at the Hokage's Tower today, Naru-kun!"

Naruto nearly spit his drink out. "What? I think didn't that I was going to get any part of the bounty! I didn't actually fight Zabuza, after all."

"Well, you did fight his accomplice," reasoned Kurenai. "Maybe they're paying for her as well?"

Naruto looked down at the table, unwilling to meet her gaze. "I don't think so. Kakashi-sensei mentioned that he didn't recognize the kunoichi from the bingo book."

Guilt rode through Naruto's words, and Kurenai shared a look with Anko across the table. Both realized that Naruto still felt a little uneasy at the aspect of killing someone. Ironic, seeing as how Naruto has the Kyuubi imprisoned in him, but Naruto doesn't share any of the bloodlust, and doesn't want to kill anyone.

Kurenai turned and embraced Naruto, who was on the same bench as her. "I've never liked killing either," she admitted. When he looked up at her finally, she smiled. "It's not an easy thing to deal with, as I'm sure Anko explained, but it's something we have to deal with as shinobi."

Anko snorted loudly. "I already told the brat all of this! Besides, why do you get to sit next to Naruto-kun while I'm on this side all on my lonesome?"

Kurenai hid her blush from Naruto at Anko's words, but spoke evenly. "You're managing to make this sound like we're in a relationship with him!"

"Well, what's wrong with that?"

"Everything!"

"Not really. I wouldn't mind. In fact, if you're not taking him, I am."

This time, Naruto really did spit his drink out, and both Jounin turned to look at him for a moment. Suddenly Anko smirked, seeing his shocked face. "Aw, he's speechless. Is Naruto-kun _that_excited?"

Kurenai started to get angry. "Anko, he's too young! What are you thinking?"

"Well, he's really not that much younger than us. In a few years or so..."

"Exactly! In a few _years_!"

Anko gave a short cackle of glee "Hah! You admit it! In a few years, Kure-chan is going to be coming after you, Naru-_kun_!"

Naruto blushed, and found himself studying the wall at the other end of the restaurant. Somehow Anko always managed to make him feel uncomfortable with her teasing...and reduce Kurenai to indignant sputtering.

Even so, Naruto left the restaurant with a huge grin on his face, and he was pretty sure both women knew what it was about. He didn't care though. _'A few years...'_He allowed himself to chuckle on his way back to his apartment, scaring many villagers on the way.

Kurenai and Anko watched him go from the restaurant. "You baited me into saying that." said Kurenai.

"Well, you keep thinking you don't care for him. I just thought it was time for a little wakeup call from your good friend Anko-chan!"

Kurenai sighed and shook her head. "Far too young..." she muttered.

Anko looked over at her. "Well, not like anyone our age group is eligible. She imitated a drunk guy in a bar, "Hey baby, did it hurt when you fell out of heaven?"

Kurenai snorted and made her own imitation, "Is there a ninja in your pants? Cuz your ass is kicking!"

"Do you have a map? Cuz I could get lost in your eyes..."

The two women laughed as they imitated many of the men who have tried to pick them up, and each time, it only made one thing clearer: Naruto wasn't anything like the others. It was too bad he was too young and as a student, the situation was inappropriate. When Kurenai mentioned this however, Anko just blinked and said, "Well, I guess you'd better help him get promoted quickly then so he's not a student anymore, right Kurenai-chan?"

It was the next day that Naruto also asked Anko to teach him more of the taijutsu style he'd started in Wave, and made some progress on that. He still ran into a slight barrier in that taijutsu though, and managed to work his way around it by improvising, and Anko even conceded that he probably wasn't matched up for the serpentine style. Still, it was certainly better than the academy style.

Kurenai also spoke to him on the side a few days later and handed him a scroll with several genjutsu he should have mastered for the exams. Most of them were pretty simple – Magen: Narakumi no jutsu, Kokoni Arazu no jutsu, and Kori shinchu no jutsu. He thanked her and ended up carrying the scroll with him, but he hadn't gotten around to mastering many of them yet. He was already busy training in taijutsu and ninjutsu.

Konohamaru also got in trouble again. A rain nin came and kidnapped one of them, Moegi. He had to follow the bastard all the way through the woods before he caught up to him to find Moegi tied to a tree. Luckily, he managed to use Kage bunshin and get Moegi untied when another bunshin kept the rain nin occupied. When he caught the rain nin though, he managed to use kawarimi to escape. The weird thing was, Naruto later found out that similar things happened to his teammates.

Sasuke's training on the other hand locked himself up in the Uchiha compound, and only came out on rare occasions. He claimed to be studying different jutsu in the Uchiha library, but he wouldn't let anyone know just what jutsu they were. Not even Kakashi could get him to speak. Apparently the rain nin did manage to find Sasuke at one point outside of his compound and attack him, but Sasuke beat him back.

The third member of team 7, Sakura, did little to prepare herself, other than some simple chakra control exercises and academy required skills. Kakashi, for his part, did help her a little. Even so, Sakura did not complete much training. A lot of this had to do with self-doubt. Sakura agonized constantly over whether she should take the exam, and it wasn't until she realized how devoted Sasuke and Naruto were to taking the exam that she finally signed her own form, against Kakashi's advice that she shouldn't feel pressured into this. Her encounter with the rain nin was evidently entirely an illusion, and she concluded, along with her two teammates, that it was some sort of test for them.

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

A week later, the genin found themselves heading into the academy close to 3. In an hour, all the exam forms must be turned in, and the exam would start. The academy was flooded with genin. Iwa, Kumo, Grass, Sand, Rain, it was like all the world's shinobi had gathered for this event.

Team 7 headed up a familiar set of stairs, and entered the second floor. Only, it wasn't the second floor. It was the third. Sakura immediately tensed, and after a second, so did Naruto and Sasuke, who activated his sharingan. He smirked when he realized. "I see."

In front of them was a huge mass of genin, all trying to get through a set of doors that was guarded by two other genin. One extraordinarily hideous ninja dressed in a green jumpsuit went to attack one of the genin, only to be swatted away like a fly. His teammate, a girl, also got hit when she approached the door.

"You won't get into here. Trust us, we're doing you all a favor. The genin exam is difficult...too difficult for weaklings like you." said one of the genin by the door.

Sasuke, who noticed the looks he was getting with his Sharingan, was gripped by the urge to show off. "Sakura." he said loudly, so that the whole room could hear. "You must have noticed it first. This is a genjutsu."

Inwardly, Naruto smacked himself. '_Couldn't help himself, could he?'_

"You idiot," he whispered. "They were weeding out the weaklings. Why didn't you just ignore it?"

One of the genin by the door smirked. "You're good to notice it. But that's not all you have to be able to do in the Chuunin exams. He lept forward to kick Sasuke, and Sasuke braced himself, ready to counter.

Before either blow reached the other genin however, the green genin from before sped in between the too, showing off a speed and agility completely different from how he acted before. While everyone stood in shock, his teammates, the girl and a Hyuuga, walked up to him. "Idiot. You were the one who wanted to act weak to avoid attention...Now you do this?"

The genin looked away and instead eyed Sakura, a slight blush tingeing his cheeks, and the girl on his teammate covered her face. "She's the reason...?" she sighed.

The boy walked up to Sakura and introduced himself. "I am Rock lee. You are Sakura-san, right? Please go out with me! I will protect you until I die!"

"Eh...No way…" said Sakura, backing away. "You are way too weird for my tastes..."

The Hyuuga approached them, followed by the girl. "You. What is your name?" he asked, referring to Sasuke.

Sasuke turned towards him, showing off his Sharingan. "Normally, one would introduce himself first if he wanted someone else's name."

"You are a rookie, aren't you? How old are you?"

"I don't have to answer that."Sasuke walked past the Hyuuga. "Come on, guys. We're leaving."

Naruto fell in behind Sasuke and Sakura, silently fuming at Sasuke's 'show' that he just put on. They hadn't gotten far when the boy known as Lee jumped in front of them, making them stop.

"You are Uchiha Sasuke, aren't you? I am Rock Lee. I challenge you to a fight."

Sasuke, for his part, didn't look fazed at all. "You, want to fight me? Fine. It wouldn't take 5 minutes for me to beat you."

Lee said nothing, but got into his stance, and beckoned for Sasuke to make the first move.

"Sharingan!" Sasuke activated his bloodline and charged at Lee confidently, only to widen his eyes in shock as Lee disappeared from view. _'How? My Sharingan would have seen if he used a jutsu..'_

Lee reappeared in front of Sasuke and kicked him upwards, into the air, and jumped up behind Sasuke's airborne body. He unraveled his bandages around his arms, for some follow up move, but before he could do anything else, a pinwheel struck the bandages into the wall, allowing Sasuke and Lee to fall down harmlessly.

Sasuke got up, shaken, and walked away from Lee. His pride had taken a major blow. _'That couldn't have just been taijutsu...'_

Ignoring the odd sight of Lee and his sensei, the team began to head out towards the room 301, where they were supposed to turn in the forms. Naruto hid his smirk as Sasuke returned to him and Sakura, while she fussed over him and his loss. If anything, that only rubbed it in more. Either way, Naruto decided to play with the situation a bit.

"Guess that Sharingan of yours isn't so great after all, huh?" he asked, ignoring the glares he received from his teammates. "Ah well. Maybe next time you'll be able to at least get a hit off of him."

"Hn. Like you could do better."

Naruto just smiled.

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

After finally entering room 301 which was full of hundreds of genin, all of them sitting at various tables and desks around the room, studying each other, Sasuke was immediately glomped by Ino. "Sasuke-kun! You're finally here!"

"Let go of him, Ino-Pig!"

"Like hell I will, Forehead!"

Beyond her, Kiba, who was standing with his team and team 10, looked up. "Oi, Naruto! You guys made it! Looks like all of the rookies are in the exams!"

Naruto smiled, and waved. "Of course! How could you even think for a minute that we wouldn't make it into the exams?"

"Heh. I guess he has a point," commented Shikamaru.

A new voice interrupted them. "You guys should keep it down. You don't want to attract unwanted attention."

Everyone turned to see a silver haired kid with glasses walking up to them with a friendly smile. "I'm Yakushi Kabuto. nice to meet you. I thought I'd give my underclassmen a bit of advice, seeing as I've gone through this exam so many times."

"How many times is that?" asked Kiba.

"This is my 7th time I think. I've been taking this exam for four years, twice a year."

'_Wow. Is this exam that challenging?'_Thought Naruto. He looked around the room and studied many of the genin in the room with new interest. Not many of them looked that strong. But there were probably quite a few of them. Like those sand nins, or even Rock Lee. He picked up a few words from Kabuto that he'd missed while looking around.

"…I can show them to you if you want. Just need a name."

He turned to see Kabuto with a deck of cards in his hand, and Sasuke studying them. "I want to see Rock Lee from Konoha"

Kabuto shuffled through his deck quickly before pulling out one of them and pumping some chakra into the card. "Ah, this is interesting. It seems Rock lee is a genin under Mighto Gai, and look at this! apparently he can't use chakra at all for some reason, so he simply excels in taijutsu. He's got plenty of D and C rank missions under his belt. Anyone else?"

_'So he really only used taijutsu against me?'_thought Sasuke, clenching his fists in shame and anger.

"I want to see Gaara of the Desert." said Naruto, walking up to Kabuto.

"Hm. Gaara you say? Alright."Kabuto pulled out a second card and looked at it. "Hm. He's a foreign ninja and it's his first time taking the exam, so I don't know much about him, but He's done eight C rank and 1 B rank, and he's always come back without a scratch on him... Other than that though, I have no ideas what techniques this kid uses."

Naruto narrowed his eyes. _'Came back without a scratch? The kid can't be that good as just a genin._'

Suddenly, a bunch of examiners shunshined into the room. In front of them was a tall man with a black trench coat and bandanna. "QUIET you maggots! Take a seat and shut up while I explain the first examination!"

The genin all scrambled to quickly get there number and then find there seat. Naruto found himself sitting next to Hinata, who smiled and blushed when he looked at her.

I am Morino Ibiki, and I am your proctor for this portion of the Chuunin exams! Now, for this part, you will all be performing a written exam. I will now explain the rules about this potion. Rule number one, No questions!..."

Naruto leaned back and listened to the rules. Some of them made him wonder. Why were they allowed to cheat at all? It made no sense. Either way, he'd work his way around this. If he was allowed to cheat though, he'd keep that in mind. So long as he didn't get caught more than he was permitted. Even then, he'd have to be careful not to get caught at all.

As he was handed the test and he looked at the questions, he felt his jaw go slack. He glanced back at his teammates. Sakura might be able to solve these. But Sasuke and he wouldn't be able to solve them. They'd definitely have to cheat a bit. He caught Sasuke's eyes and gave a nod. Just so they understand each other.

Naruto sat back and waited a bit. In order to cheat, you have to wait for other people to start answering questions. The only problem? Naruto didn't have any way of cheating. He thought back to the rules. It didn't matter how obvious your cheating is, only how many times you got caught? Fine then.

Naruto looked for someone who looked like they were done, and looked confident. Alright, time to set this into motion. Naruto made a shadow clone, catching the attention of most of the room as it popped into existence.

"is he an idiot?" muttered Temari.

Shikamaru watched in abstract interest. '_What is he doing?'_

Similar thoughts went through most of the genin's heads. Sakura, for her part, was furious that he was getting caught cheating, while Sasuke, just smirked, already thinking of what Naruto was doing.

The Kage Bunshin walked off, and went up to the person that he'd scoped out. Took the person's paper, and brought it back to Naruto. He quickly copied it down, and had the clone walk back and put it onto the person's desk.

_'done.'_Naruto looked up at Ibiki's face with a foxy grin, knowing he just found a huge loophole in the rules. Most of the examiners were looking at Ibiki in askance as to what they were supposed to do in this situation.

Ibiki just smiled and put his head down, shaking it in exasperation. _Clever__ just like a fox...of course, it had to catch attention. That's always been Uzumaki's style.'_He looked at the other examiners, nodding his head. He'd allow this.

Most of the genin's jaws dropped. How could they let that go? Sasuke smirked as he caught Naruto's eye. The bastard had guts. Kiba laughed aloud at Naruto's 'prank'. Neji's eye twitched, Hinata blushed, and Kabuto smiled to himself as he pushed his glasses up. '_Uzumaki Naruto, eh? interesting bunch, Team 7.'_

Fifteen minutes later, Ibiki finally announced the time for the final question. You could take the question and risk getting it wrong and never being a genin, or you could walk out and take the test again another day. Naruto didn't seem to be able to get enough attention that day, and ignoring his words to Sasuke before when he told the genin to dispel the genjutsu on the second floor, Naruto slammed his hand down against the desk and told Ibiki that he'd never give in to his stupid tactics. Ibiki could only stare and watch as all the genin regained their confidence.

Needless to say, when Anko jumped through the window and Naruto was the only one to laugh and share a smile with Anko, he definitely had attracted a lot of attention. Ibiki could only shake his head in exasperation again. What could see say? He liked the kid.

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

**End of CHAPTER 8**

Alright! Good chapter? I hope so. I'm had a flood of ideas recently, and I'm kind of mad that I don't have the time to write more; or quicker at least. Let me know what you think about the story in an email or review! I have some readers email me what they think I may or may not be doing with the story, and I truly enjoy the emails, especially the ones that are consistently near the 'bullseye' range when they give me their thoughts. LOL and sorry about the pickup lines. I thought the ninja in the pants one was hilarious.


	9. Forest of Death

Disclaimer– "Be obscure clearly." -E.B. White

The Maelstrom of Konoha**-1.09**

**The Tale of a Young Boy's Ascent into the Legends**

_Well, I think that the cheating method I had Naruto use is entirely original. At least, I haven't seen anyone else use it. So I'm happy :D. Also, I'm going to begin writing I, HINATA soon. It will be very shot chapters, and written in a leisurely pace, so check it out sometime!. -Cantor_

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Kyuubi studied the board carefully within the seal. A game of infinite possibilities; it was as complex as it was ancient. There were no set number of pieces, and the board had no set size. If more was needed, more was added. Pieces could be captured and used by the opponent in the game, or they could also be killed off, never to return to the board in this game. But a lower piece could never kill or capture a stronger piece—unless the piece was upgraded to an equal or stronger position, or had advantage in numbers.

For example, in the human game of chess, and in shogi, when some pieces move across the board to the opponents side, you can 'upgrade' the piece into a stronger piece. Such as pawn into a queen. This game had a similar condition. Upgrading a piece in this game however, was based on the piece's kills, captures, and time spent alive. Theoretically, if you never lost a piece, all of your pieces would eventually be upgraded to the highest piece there was, save the most important piece—the King, which represented yourself on the game board.

His style of playing, or strategy, was vastly different from his opponent's. While he preferred to rely on strong pieces and keep them low in number, which in turn made them upgrade quicker by getting a higher percentage of captures and kills, his opponent relied more on numbers, amassing a large number of easily killed pawns, backed up by a select few strong pieces. Both were valid methods to achieve the same end, but the Kyuubi was confident in his own abilities.

His opponent had made their move. Surprisingly unorthodox, his opponent's Guardian had moved towards one of his pawns, which was in a group with another pawn and Kyuubi's own Guardian. The group was protecting that section of the board from attack. It looked as though that pawn would be captured, allowing the second pawn in the group to be captured in the next move. Kyuubi could do nothing about it. He sighed, a deep rumble within the cage. Why bother capturing one of his pawns? Especially with his Guardian—one of the more important pieces of the game. In the entire game in which infinite pieces could upgrade to stronger pieces, the Guardian was unique for a number of reasons. To start off with, it was the only piece on the board other than the King that there could only be one of.

While it started off generally as strong as a pawn, the Guardian was the absolute only piece in the game that's strength changed rather than upgrading, since there is only one Guardian per side, then a Guardian never upgraded to a new piece. The Guardian was also considered one of the more versatile pieces, and could switch from offensive roles to defensive very quickly. It was a beginner's mistake to risk losing it. if one lost it, the only way upgrade a piece to the position of a new Guardian would be by killing another Guardian—or resigning a pawn to upgrade through every rank other than the Guardian while protecting the King. This made it a very difficult process to replace a lost Guardian. Having the Guardian openly attack _pawns_ made it very open to attack, which risked losing it. However,his opponent at times was every bit as cunning as he was, and he was definitely up to something. The fox began studying the board again. He must have missed something, and he'd be damned if someone outwitted him; a fox.

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Naruto and the other genin hurriedly followed Anko across a stretch of Konoha to a training grounds at the outer limits of the village. Training grounds 44, otherwise known as The Forest of Death, loomed ominously over their heads from behind the fence. Even outside of it, training grounds 44 gave off a distinct feeling of imminent danger. A few noises could be heard from the thick growth of trees, and it was disturbing to everyone present when several calls were suddenly cut short.

Anko stood in front of them next to the fence, smiling as though she were completely comfortable in this setting. Maybe she was. _'Crazy woman.'_thought Naruto with a smirk. He listened carefully as Anko explained the rules to this second exam. Two types of scrolls, one given to each team. Each team must have one of each type before the end of the exam, as well as reach the goal; the Tower in the middle of the forest. No rules as far as fighting—casualties are expected. Anko handed out a waiver for each team to sign, essentially agreeing to the idea that they understand that their deaths are possible, if not probable, and that they don't hold Konoha responsible.

Naruto turned towards his teammates as they each signed the form. "This exam won't be too difficult," he said over the other teams talking. Maybe he said that too loud. He felt a kunai slice across his cheek, and before he could even turn to see who did it, Anko was beside him. She licked the blood from the cut on his cheek slowly, easily creeping out the already scared genin.

Anko spoke loud enough for everyone to hear, "Usually the weakest bark the loudest." But as she held Naruto close, he could easily hear her whisper one thing to him before she let him go. "good luck, Naru-kun. I'll be waiting at the Tower."

Another genin retrieved Anko's kunai for her, holding it in a long slimy tongue. Anko amazingly didn't seem fazed at all by the genin's...creepiness, and thanked him with a smile. Maybe it was a battle of how creepy someone could be? Naruto stayed out of it. Afterwards, all the genin double checked their packs and turned in their wavers to the desk, and received their scroll; either Heaven or Earth. Once all the teams were accounted for and everyone was ready, they were shown to the gates, which after a few minutes swung open with horn blast to signal the start of the second exam.

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Neji scanned the area carefully with his Byakuugan before turning towards his team. They were resting at the base of a tree just inside the forest. They hadn't sped ahead like most of the other teams. After all, why should they do just what every other team was doing? A successful ninja was unpredictable, and doing what every other team couldn't be considered that by any means.

"We're going to be resting here most of the day," he said. "Everyone gather supplies for the camp, and then afterwards we'll all go scouting on other teams. By nightfall, we'll attack one and have our scroll. Clear?"

Lee and Tenten nodded, both of the smiling. Neji might be a little stuck up at times, but he was a good team leader when Gai wasn't around, and both of them understood the importance of good leadership. Each of them took out their weapons and checked them over. The last thing they needed was to get into a fight only to find out they'd not brought enough kunai. Tenten, as always, was ready to give them any kunai if they needed them.

"Return here in three hours to report before we decide who to attack." All three of them stood and looked at each other before jump off in different directions. The quicker they finished this portion of the exam, the more time they had to prepare for the final portion. Unfortunately for Tenten, her teammates did have ulterior motives in mind.

'_Sakura-san!'_

_'Uchiha, Sasuke. I will show you what a true genius is.'_

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Team 8 was currently swiftly traveling through the trees, with Kiba in the lead. He occasionally sniffed the air to make sure they wouldn't run into anyone up ahead. After all, you could never be too careful. Shino was behind him, although he wasn't using his bugs for scouting. They had a different purpose. They had thought this through carefully, and they decided that an early trap would be the easiest method. Shino had made sure his bugs were swarming in an entire clearing of the forest, and Hinata would find a group of enemy ninja to lead into the clearing. simple, unexpected, and effective; the three keys to making a good trap.

"Ano...they're catching up." Hinata had her Byakuugan active, watching the ninja that were trailing them.

Kiba turned to her with a confident smile. "Don't worry, we're almost there, Hinata. Shino, are your bugs ready?"

Shino adjusted his glasses and spoke quietly. "They are always ready."

"As long as they don't screw this up."

"They do not fail."

"Uh huh. Well I'm just saying, how intelligent can bugs be?"

Shino's glasses flashed dangerously. Whether he made any facial expression behind that collar of his remains yet unknown. It was apparent to his teammates that he was getting annoyed however. This was a somewhat common occurrence though. Both Aburame and Inuzuka were persistent in the belief that their own animal or insect was superior to the other's choice. "How intelligent can a dog possibly be? Insects have been around longer than humans, and will survive us as well. They are superior—and they live a structured, highly developed lifestyle."

"Feh. Just make sure you drain their chakra. Hinata said they didn't have huge chakra pathways to begin with, but I want to make sure they're as weak as possible before any of us attack them."

None of them spoke for a while. Kiba was being a little too rude and Shino was silently annoyed. Hinata just remained silent. She'd never be the one to speak through such a thick tension. Finally however, they landed in the clearing that they had chosen beforehand and turned to wait for the other team. Kiba sniffed the air again and spoke.

"They're here."

Three Iwa nin jumped through the bushes, and got into a stance to attack Team 8. They were all dressed the same way. Somewhat drab clothes in varying shades of brown and gray, as well as thick cowls covering the lower portion of their face. Altogether, the team looked like they could be siblings. That might just be because so much of their body was covered though.

Kiba suddenly tensed with Akamaru, and got ready to charge toward them, but Shino held out his hand. "That's not them. Hinata, look with Byakuugan. My bugs are looking for the real ones right now as well, but surely you can find them quicker."

Hinata nodded and made the seal. "Byakuugan!" After a few moments, she turned and pointed to a spot in the trees at their side. "They're hiding over there, watching us."

Shino nodded calmly and then there was a huge swarm of bugs as he sent them off in the direction Hinata had pointed to. There were muffled sounds amongst the sound of the swarming bugs, and after several moments, the clones of the Iwa nin dispersed and Shino adjusted his glasses before speaking. "Go in, Kiba. The bugs are finished eating."

Kiba shivered at the tone and Shino's use of words, but nodded and hurried in while Hinata and Kiba waiting in the clearing. Finally, there was a shout and Kiba came hurrying out with a smile. "We're in luck! Looks like they had the scroll we needed! Let's take a short break and hurry to the tower. I want to be the first team there! Let's see what team 7 makes of that!"

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While other teams were doing well, team 7 wasn't having any such luck. They had got off to a good start, to be sure, but it wasn't long before they had run into their first problems. It seems good luck has to end at some point, and after doing so well with their negligent sensei, and surviving the mission to wave, team 7's luck seemed to have run out.

When they had first entered the forest, they had traveled smoothly without running into any teams. This suited them well, since none of them had any scouting abilities to forewarn them if any team was up ahead. Better to not see any teams at all than to fall into a trap. Instead, they planned on speeding towards the tower, and waiting for a team that was about to finish the exam before attacking, and taking that teams scrolls. This worked well, until they took a break and Naruto went off to relieve himself. When he came back, Sasuke immediately noticed a slight difference in Naruto's weapon arrangement, and called him out on it. By punching him.

With a resounding smack, Naruto fell back onto the ground, and both of the boys ignored Sakura's shout, "What are you doing?"

'Naruto' poofed back into an enemy nin—a rain nin, with with breathing apparatus and funny yellow brown clothes. Sakura fell quiet after realizing what had happened, and a short fight followed, in which Sasuke used one of the moves he'd seen Naruto use—flinging a kunai back with just his chakra. The kunai managed to hit the unsuspecting rain nin, and he had to make a quick retreat to clean the wound.

They untied Naruto, and just after doing so, Sasuke took charge again. "Alright, I'm going to set a ground rule. I think it's clear that there could be situations where we'll get separated. If that ever happens, don't trust anyone even if he looks like us. There's a possibility the enemy will transform into one of us like that last guy did. So I propose a password."

Sakura and Naruto both nodded, and leaned in to hear the password.

"One of us will ask, 'The ninja song, Ninki.' Then the answer is: "It is a good chance when a large number of enemies are making a scene. There are no hideouts even in a quiet place. It is important for a ninja to know the right time. The time when an enemy is tired, and has his guard down."

Sakura nodded again, as did Naruto, but he looked more confused than anything else. Sasuke took the scroll and they all stood, prepared to move out again. Shortly after Sasuke finished though, a huge gust a wind blasted into the group, and while Sasuke and Sakura managed to dodge, Naruto got the full blast, and the wind carried him away from the others.

He returned a few moments later, rubbing his head, when Sasuke stopped him and asked for the password. Of course, he answered perfectly. That was a problem. He threw a kunai at Naruto, and explained that the real Naruto wouldn't have remembered the password. Sasuke revealed yet another impostor. This time a Grass nin, the same one that tried to scare Anko.

"Very good." the Grass nin rasped sinuously. "Prey must always be on guard, Sasuke-kun. Now, let me have my fun."

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Gaara was never noted by others for his force of will, or his patience. Gaara himself knew better though. _They _didn't have his urges. _They_ didn't feel the need he felt for blood. _They_ never once took life, and relished in it. _They_ never once found prey and showed restraint, for _Their_ sakes. _They_ didn't have **Mother.**

**"MORE. I want MORE. Kill. Slaughter. Maim. BLOOD."**

The voice echoed in his head. Always. Day and night. Never ending. The only time Mother wasn't so demanding was on quiet nights, when no one else was around. To satisfy her hunger. Then Mother got quiet, and she would leave Gaara. Alone.

Gaara clutched his head for a moment as the voice got painfully loud. It was always like this around enemies. Mother would get restless. She would expect her son to take care of her. And even though Gaara could show restraint that would normally put anyone else to shame, now was not that time.

Gaara wanted blood too.

He raised Mother's meal above his head with his sand. Or mother's sand? He frowned for a moment, making his siblings step back from him. He didn't notice though. _'Am I mother? Or are we different? Is this my meal? Or hers? Is there a her at all?'_

After thinking for a moment, he realized it didn't matter. He smiled suddenly, making his face even scarier than before. Ignoring there pleading, "Let us go! We'll give you the scroll! Please!" Garra raised his fist slowly, and enjoyed the look on their faces as they realized it was over. These were weaklings anyway. They deserved to die.

"PLEASE!"

"Sabaku Kyuu."

There cries only increased the hunger. Gaara raised his head to feel the droplets of raining blood pelt his face, relishing the warmth. Now, to find a strong opponent.

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Tenten watched the team of genin in front of her, who were in turn watching a group of sand nins...brutally kill their enemy. She almost heaved at the sight. Luckily, she hadn't, and the team of genin in front of her still didn't know about her presence.

The one called Kiba backed away slowly, his eyes wide. "Holy shit," he swore. "That guy is crazy!" He turned towards his teammates fearfully. "We shouldn't be here! What if he sees us? There's no way we could fight that!"

Silently, Tenten agreed. No, no one in the area could fight that. She doubted whether even Neji or any of the strong genin could touch that sand genin. Judging by the how the team in front of her was acting, they knew that as well. Idly, Tenten looked at the Hyuuga. Neji had mentioned her, saying she was of the main house. So far, she didn't seem to fit Neji's description of a main house member at all. She was shy, soft spoken, and she seemed concerned for her teammates more than herself.

Shino adjusted his glasses and spoke calmly. Much calmer than he felt inside. "And I believe you were the one who wanted to scout around for fights to 'eliminate the competition.' Do you see where this leads us now? Your stubbornness and lack of prudence could lead us into an enemy such as that."

Kiba snarled, but couldn't argue. Shino was right, and he knew it. "Fine! We'll head to the tower. I doubt I could even get Akamaru to fight after seeing that anyway."

Shino nodded, and Hinata stepped forward to whisper something, causing both of the genin to stiffen. Tenten, who had been leaning forward to try and hear what Hinata had to say, suddenly stiffened herself. _'Oh crap. The Byakuugan! Of course!'_

Suddenly, all three of the genin were around her, and she had nowhere to go. In between each of the genin were...bugs? She pulled out several kunai and got into a stance. She would have to fight her way out, it seems.

Shino stepped forward. It seemed he had taken the lead after Kiba had messed up before. "Who are you, and what do you want? If you're looking for a scroll, there is little chance you will get it from us in this situation. On the other hand, Hinata says you do not have your team's scroll, and that they are nowhere in the area. We don't have to fight."

Suddenly, the significance of the bugs clicked, and Tenten nearly smacked herself for her stupidity. '_Of course...and Aburame. Wow Tenten, you sure got yourself into trouble this time. Out of all the teams to spy on, you chose a team with an Inuzuka, a Hyuuga, and an Aburame. Clearly a scouting team.'_

Tenten sighed in defeat and put away her kunai slowly, knowing she was clearly outmatched. Immediately, the Inuzuka boy jumped forward and grabbed both of her arms, while the Aburame boy's bugs got closer. "I thought you were going to let me go?" She asked, suddenly alarmed.

The Aburame, Shino, she thought she heard his name was, spoke calmly to her as his bugs began to drain her chakra. "I believe you have misunderstood. I said that we did not need to fight, not that we would let you go. If we leave without disabling you, then you or your team might attack us later. For now, we will take you with us as a bargaining chip for your team."

Tenten glared indignantly at him as she sloped to the ground, suffering from lack of chakra, and the Inuzuka began to tie her up like some piece of meat. The Hyuuga girl gave her an apologetic look, but Tenten didn't see it. Neji wouldn't allow the team to do this to someone. She could see why he didn't like the main house members.

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Sasuke watched as the gigantic snake that had been about to kill him was stopped short. His eyes widened in shock. His breath quickened. How does this happen? Why can't he get away from this guy? He could not compete with this genin, and any second he could be killed! He had already been lucky several times, and who know what stopped the snake this time.

A voice, barely audible and laced with stress floated out of the smoke. "What's wrong, scaredy-cat?"

Sasuke looked down quickly, as did Sakura and grass genin. "Naruto!" shouted Sakura, seeing their blond haired teammate. He was holding the snake back with just his body, having seemingly jumped in front of it to save Sasuke. He was glaring at Sasuke, and abruptly, the Uchiha realized just how foolish he was being. He smirked, and suddenly Naruto seemed to relax. Not for long though.

The genin's tongue had snaked around Naruto and pulled him to his face. "Hmm. So this is the 9 tail brat?" He pulled up Naruto's shirt to check the seal. "Interesting..." he held his hand back as though to make a fist, but instead, each finger glowed with chakra individually. "Goguou Fuuin!" His hand smashed into Naruto's stomach, knocking the air out of him and making him cough. He tossed Naruto aside, not even checking to see if Naruto was actually finished.

Naruto slowly felt consciousness fading, and the last thing he heard was Sakura calling his name. He woke up in a familiar, dark, damp place. The Kyuubi's gloomy cage was off to his side, and he slowly got up to look at the fox. He was never brought here without a reason.

He decided to get right to the point. "What do you want?"

A rumbling noise came from the fox's cage. Whether it was a growl or laughter, Naruto couldn't tell. It was too faint. Slowly, the fox's gigantic form came closer to the edge of the cage, and Naruto could see it clearly. Not too far behind it he could see the same game board as last time. Evidently it was the same game, as well. There was no sign of the opponent though.

**"Whelp. It seems you allowed yourself to be sealed. Each time I see you I am more and more disappointed in your strength."**

Naruto's eyes widened as he remember what was happening before he fell unconscious. "Sasuke! Sakura! Let me out, bastard fox! I have to go help!"

**"No. You won't be able to do anything. You are unconscious now, you imbecile. You even used my chakra, and still were defeated. You didn't even think to use any jutsu. You are pathetically weak." The fox stared at him in silence for some time, while Naruto glared back as best he could.**

"Then make me stronger, if it's such a problem for you, oh _almighty fox_."

The fox chuckled mirthlessly.**"You want me to help you? You will have to beg on your hands and knees, be my faithful servant, and worship me as you would a God, before I even consider the idea."**

"Screw that. You'll make me more powerful whether you like it or not."

**"Hardly. However, outside of tearing my seal off, there is only one other way for me to****promise to make you stronger."**

"And what is that?"

**The fox was silent for a moment before showing it's fangs, as if it was smirking. "You must promise to kill the Uchiha clan for me."**

Naruto didn't even bother to consider it. "No way! Sasuke is my team mate!"

The fox barked a laugh. **"There is more to the Uchiha than your precious team mate..."**

"Either way, the answer is no." said Naruto, crossing his arms. "I'll get stronger on my own, and you can shut the hell up from now on."

**"You will always be weak."** snarled the fox.

"I don't care." Naruto began to walk away, but he stopped suddenly and turned to face the fox. "Who are you playing against, anyway? I don't see anyone else in that cage." he nodded towards the game board behind the fox.

**"Not anyone you're familiar with."**

"You never answer clearly."

**"Just tear off the seal, and everything can be yours..."**

"Not buying it."

Naruto could feel himself waking up slowly, and waved once to the fox, making sure it was looking before he mooned it. He woke up slowly, blinking blearily at the brightness. He was inside a shallow cave. Seemingly a hollow under a tree more than a cave. Suddenly he heard a scream, and he sat up with a jolt. '_Sakura? That's right, that snake guy...'_

He ran out of the cave, to what was the last thing he was expecting to see. Sakura was on the ground, beaten and worn, it looked like she'd not slept for days, and she'd been through a few fights. Behind her was Sasuke, surrounded by purple chakra, grabbing a sound genin's arms, with a look of pure enjoyment on his face as he ripped the arms out of the sockets, probably breaking them at the same time.

Another sound genin was getting up off the ground. He had a huge metal weapon attached to his arm. He held up his arms in surrender, and Sasuke slowly calmed down, the purple chakra surrounding him fading. Sakura ran up to him and held him from behind, sobbing.

Abruptly, Naruto realized the presence of several other genin. Team 10 was there, looking at Sasuke with wide eyes, shocked at his brutality. Even Ino, who normally would be yelling at Sakura for hugging Sasuke, looked hesitant to go near him now. She turned to see Naruto, and smiled suddenly.

"Naruto! You're awake!" She hurried over and checked him for injuries. "You're not hurt? Why were you unconscious? I haven't even been able to talk to Sakura about what happened yet." She looked over to the crying girl worryingly. "And I don't feel like talking with Sasuke right now..." she added in a low voice.

"I'm fine Ino. All I remember is running into this really strong Grass genin. He could summon snakes, like Anko."

"Anko? The examiner? I didn't know you knew her..." she thought about it for a moment before her eyes widened. "Wait, so if you knew her beforehand, then what was that about before the exam?"

Naruto blushed. "Ah, she helped out my taijutsu a bit before, and wished me luck. She's kind of crazy though, I don't suggest trying to get to know her." he admitted.

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Neji glared furiously at Hinata. How dare she? How dare she do such an underhanded, dishonorable thing? Behind her and her team was Tenten, tied up as though she were a pig about to be roasted. Both Tenten and Hinata didn't meet his eyes. Tenten he could understand. She was ashamed. Ashamed of being caught. Hinata was Ashamed. Ashamed of herself, because he was a branch house member, better than her at using the Byakuugan and the jyuuken. How dare she?

He dropped into stance, feet wide apart, one hand behind him facing skyward, the other in front of him, facing his enemy. He would deal with these rookies, and show them what a true Hyuuga can do.

They obviously underestimated him because of Hinata's weakness. She was a weak Hyuuga.

Hinata's teammates stepped forward in front of her, as if to guard her from his wrath. Beside him, Lee finally got into stance as well.

"Perhaps you do not understand." the Aburame said. "If you attack, I will have to hurt her." he pointed towards Tenten, whose eyes widened at the threat. She immediately looked at Neji for reassurance.

Neji took a step forward, about to charge. He could beat them both back before they even touched Tenten, but a wall of kikai bugs shot up, forcing him to stop. He couldn't fight these bugs. Already, they came closer to him.

"Kaiten!" the bugs scattered quickly, before he could even begin the move. They would tire him out like this. "What do you want?"

"Your scroll."

Neji glared at Hinata, who looked down and pushed her fingers together. He grunted and pulled out one of the scrolls he and Lee had collected. It did not matter. They had extras, exactly for this purpose. But for Hinata to be the one he must bargain with! It infuriated him! He put the scroll down and stepped back, allowing the Inuzuka dog to pick it up and carry it off with the Inuzuka. Once he was gone, Hinata following, the Aburame, Shino, nodded and jumped away as well, his kikai bugs leaving at last.

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Naruto sighed as they once again passed the same tree as before. He knew it was the same one. He had marked it with his kunai after thinking that they'd been walking in circles. Now he knew they were right.

"We're walking in circles."

Sakura turned towards him, mouth open to argue, but Sasuke grunted in agreement, and her mouth snapped shut. Kabuto, who had joined them not too long ago, smiled as he looked around in interest.

"I don't think our sense of direction is the problem. We are in a genjutsu."

He pointed towards the tower, in the distance. "I don't think that tower top has gotten any closer at all today. If we were lost, we'd at least change in position relative to that tower." He raised his voice. "You might as well come out now, we know your there."

There was silence for a long while before the bushes began to rustle to their side, warning them of a barrage of kunai hurtling through the air at them. They all managed to dodge, but they quickly found themselves surrounded by clones of rain nin. The same rain nin that had attacked them before, except this time he was with his team. The four konoha nin, Sasuke, Naruto, Sakura, and Kabuto, all got into stance and got ready for the fight. Naruto could hardly wait. He needed some action after getting knocked out by the snake freak so quickly—and after missing the fight with the sound nin.

The fight was quick, and by the end, team 7 had their second scroll. Naruto immediately made groups of clones to fight the rain nin's clones. Then while Kabuto, Sasuke, and Sakura all hid in the bushes, he made 3 more clones to look like them.

The rain nins didn't catch this quick trade off of course, and as they began to attack Naruto and his three supposed companions, the real Sakura, Sasuke, and Kabuto all watched carefully to see where the actual rain nins were. Needless to say, they found the rain nins, and managed to finish the fight.

After the rain nins were down, the genjutsu faded, and the true tower finally appeared. They all smiled, glad to have finally finished this second exam, and hurried towards the tower.

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**End of CHAPTER 9**

Preliminaries, Next Chapter! I may write this chapter quicker than I scheduled, simply because it doesn't require much work. Or something like that. I just feel like I can write it quickly, even if I have other fights planned. Sooo expect it in...two days? So the 24th?

Also, check out my 'I, HINATA', which I'm writing the first chapter for and will post by the 24th as well. Speaking of which, if any female readers are willing to pre-read the chapter for me and make it sound more feminine (it's written in first person) I'd be really grateful. I,Hinata won't be updated by a schedule...I'll just write in it when I feel like it. See you all Thursday.


	10. Preliminaries!

Disclaimer– "Easy reading is damn hard writing." Nathaniel Hawthorne.

The Maelstrom of Konoha**-1.10**

**The Tale of a Young Boy's Ascent into the Legends**

_I despised writing this chapter. Umm..what else? I had a lot of fun with the Kyuubi last chapter, got a lot done with him. Um...so read this chapter and enjoy! I hope it's alright, I did different prelims...even though I hated writing fight scenes. -Cantor_

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Team 7 had a few days to rest and do some light training after they arrived. A nice bed to sleep in was a welcome change from the cold forest ground. Even so, it wasn't long before Naruto and his teammates were called together in the arena within the tower. The second exam had ended, and all the teams who passed were waiting patiently for the Hokage to speak about the 3rd phase.

Naruto took the opportunity to study the room that the teams were waiting in. It was quite large, with enough space to accommodate plenty of different types of jutsu. To either side of the room were balconies running the length of the room overlooking the large open arena below. In front of them was a small raised platform, where the examiners, as well as the Hokage, stood quietly. Seeing that the room seemed to be designed for fighting, Naruto already had an idea of what the genin would be required to do next. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously, and took the chance to study the other genin that had completed the second exam.

For the Konoha teams, there were of course Kakashi's team 7, Kurenai's team 8, Asuma's team 10, and Gai's...well he wasn't sure what team number they were, and then there was Kabuto's. Naruto knew all of the rookie genins, but he studied Gai's team for a little, trying to see if he could guess what fighting style they used. One of them was Neji, the Hyuuga, who undoubtedly fought like Hinata did, which he'd learned a little about both in his academy days, and from Kurenai and Anko. He'd never seen the girl on Gai's team fight, so he couldn't really make any conclusion, but he could guess she was some type of long range fighter, since her hands definitely didn't have any signs of fighting hand to hand much. As for Lee...well, Naruto had already seen Lee handle Sasuke like nothing in taijutsu, so Naruto was already pretty sure of Lee's abilities.

Kabuto's team hardly gave anything away. Two of his teammates looked identical. They had their hitaite worn like bandannas over their head, and a cloth draped over the lower half of their face. The clothes were identical—the only difference between them was that one wore sunglasses and one wore normal glasses. Kabuto himself was also an enigma. Silver haired, glasses, no apparent weapon other than kunai and other typical ninja supplies...Naruto shook his head, abandoning finding anything out about them, and turned towards the rest of the genin.

As for foreign teams, there was Gaara's team, which Naruto wasn't very surprised to see there. Naruto studied the red headed genin for a while, ignoring the malicious stare he received in return...The gourd on his back was suspicious, and the only thing Naruto could think of that would be in a gourd was water...but they were from a desert...so...sand? Naruto was reserving judgment on that one. He looked at the kunoichi of the team. She had that battle fan with her both times he'd seen her, so he'd bet anything that she used it in battle—probably a wind type? Maybe she could use it close range too. It defintitely looked sturdy enough to bash somebody with. Then there was the weird makeup kid? Kankuro, he thought? Sounds right. Naruto had no idea what the huge wrapped up thing on his back was, and it worried Naruto the most. A gourd can only contain so many things, and a fan can only serve so many purposes, but a wrapped bundle doesn't give much away.

There was also a Mist team, standing stiffly together. Naruto hadn't seen them before, either in the first exam or during the second exam, so he studied them a bit longer. They had the same setup as other genin teams. That is to say, two shinobi and one kunoichi. The kunoichi had her face covered with a mask similar to Kakashi, and they appeared pretty confident in themselves...especially the kunoichi. Appearing especially calm among all of the other genin teams, she had long white hair that hung loosely to frame her face and her hitaite, while in the back it was held up in a tight bun. He was reminded of Haku suddenly, and he frowned for a moment before shaking thoughts of the girl back in Wave out of his head. Right now, he had to study her team while had the chance, before they were told to fight each other.

The dark haired girl didn't seem to have any weapons on her, except for whatever she kept in the small weapons pouch on her hip, which seemed to be absolutely full of senbon, and only them. Other than that, she dressed in long knee length blue robes, tied with a gray sash. His eyes widened when she turned to speak to one of the genin on her team and he caught the slight flash of metal beneath the flap of her robes. She definitely had a weapon hidden there, but he had no idea what it was. It was long and thin, and looked like it was probably a sword, but it could've easily been a staff as well.

Her teammates were dressed in similar colors, were similar in all aspects of their uniform, with the exception that one had pale, white hair with a cloth tied over his eyes, while the other had hair almost as light as his teammate, but it had dark roots, and his eyes were oddly offset. One of them was milky white. They each had black vests over their clothes, unlike their kunoichi teammate, and weapon pouches on their right side at the hip. Naruto could see the hilts of swords peeking out above their shoulders. At least he could confidently say they each used swords.

Next was the sound team that Sasuke had 'taken care of' while he was unconscious in the forest. All three of them were glaring right back at him. The one with the metal arm was the only one uninjured. The girl looked even more bruised and beat up than after they had left team 7, and the third kid had both of his arms in slings. Naruto didn't know how that kid could possibly go on like that. Getting more scrolls after fighting with Sasuke must have been hell.

Anko stepped forward and clapped her hands. "Wow! Some extra of you survived! Well—we don't need, or want, this many genin here, so if some of you would kindly go back into the forest for a few days..." She trailed off, seeing most of the genin staring at her incredulously, and the Hokage coughed and stepped forward, putting his hand on Anko's shoulder.

"I don't think any of you need to take any of what my dear Anko just said to heart," the old man remarked wryly. "However, it is a fact that too many genin have indeed passed the second exam. However, before we get into that, allow me to explain what the third exam will be."

The genin all collectively inhaled sharply, and stood more at attention. The Hokage let the silence stretch on as he lit his pipe, before beginning.

"The third portion of the exam does not begin immediately. In fact, there will be an entire month long intermission before it begins. This is because the third exam is a tournament, of sorts, between the final genin remaining, which many state officials, civilians, and other shinobi will be watching. This is the final portion of the chunnin exams, which was originally formulated as a way for the five great shinobi nations to compete amongst each other for supremacy rather than engaging in war."

Temari raised her hand, and after a moment the Hokage nodded to her. "How can we possibly be a substitution for war? Winning war isn't about bragging rights over whose genin are stronger, which is all this exam seems to do."

The Hokage chuckled lightly. "Yes, it does indeed seem so. However, keep in mind that I just said many people will be watching these fights in the third exam. These people are potential clients, and should one of the five nations do vastly better than another nation, that nation is more likely to attract clients, which will believe that stronger shinobi are more likely to get the job accomplished. So, as you can see, doing poorly in the chuunin exams can in fact be economically crippling for a nation, without the needless loss of life we'd experience in a war."

"Now, since so many people will be traveling to see these fights, we want fewer genin fighting so that we don't waste time and stretch the third exam into more than a day or two. So, we will be holding a preliminary tournament. Hayate, if you will?"

A sickly looking jounin nodded and stepped in front of the genin, coughing every once in awhile. "The preliminary tournament will be much like the third portion of the exam. You will be randomly matched up against another genin, and you will be fighting until one either gives up, is knocked unconscious, or, in the most unfortunate scenario, dies. I will be presiding over the matches, and will step in if necessary to prevent death. Please give up if I say the match is over, or you will be disqualified. That said, if any of you feel you are unwilling or unable to go any further due to injury, please say so now."

Naruto immediately looked towards the sound team, who easily won the award for being the most beat up looking team out of everyone. He wasn't surprised when the kid with his arms in a cast stepped forward slowly, his feet shuffling and his head down. "I- I don't think I can really fight at the moment," he said.

Hayate nodded once. "Your name?"

"Zaku."

"Alright, you may either watch the prelims or head out on your own. Does anyone else wish to concede?"

Surprisingly, Kabuto walked forward, a small smile on his face. "I'm exhausted, and practically out of chakra. I wouldn't be able to do anything at the moment."

"Yakushi Kabuto, right?" Kabuto nodded. "Got it. Anyone else?" Hayate waited for a few moments before nodding to Kabuto and Zaku. "You two may leave if you want."

Kabuto turned towards Zaku with his infectious smile. "Well... I'm Kabuto. Nice to meet you. Do you want to head out and get some lunch? I'm starving."

Zaku looked at Kabuto warily for a few moments before nodding slowly. "Alright..."

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

Once Zaku and Kabuto were out of eyesight, Zaku jerked away from the older genin. "What the hell was that whole act about?" he asked.

Kabuto's smile disappeared, and was replaced with a glower. "What are you thinking, not going along with Orochimaru-sama's plans? He specifically ordered you to test Uchiha Sasuke, and you giving up half-way through!"

"I'm not giving up! I can't fight like this at the moment, I wouldn't be testing the Uchiha at all. I'm not abandoning Orochimaru-sama either, I can test the uchiha in other ways until I'm a little healed. Besides, you could have at least done something about my arms when I arrived if it was so important to Orochimaru-sama."

Kabuto snorted. "Yeah, like that wouldn't raise eyebrows, a Konoha genin able to mend bone with medical jutsu. A _genin,_" he stressed. "I am not supposed to be that good, unless you truly don't remember the plan."

Zaku was about to retort, but a light laughter interrupted them, sending him immediately to his knees. He recognized that laughter. It was him.

"Ku ku ku... Don't be so hard on him, Kabuto-kun." hissed Orochimaru as he materialized out of the shadows. "He is only trying his best to serve me. Isn't that right, Zaku-kun?"

Zaku kept his head down, as he responded. "Absolutely, Orochimaru-sama. I would never do anything against you. I only want to serve."

"Hm. Very good, Zaku-kun. Because I agree with you. You can't test the Uchiha in your current condition. However, I will change that, and you'll be able to challenge even a Hokage soon."

Zaku finally looked up, in amazement at his master's words. "Thank you, Orochimaru-sama! I won't let you down!"

"Ku ku ku. Of course you won't. You won't be able to."

Zaku didn't even have time to understand what that meant before the cold steel of a kunai plunged right into the back of his head, and everything went black.

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

Naruto watched from one of the balconies, along with the other genin and their jounin sensei, as the electronic board on the far wall flickered furiously with different letters. Eventually, it would settle on two genin, who would have to then fight in front of the other genin down below for the right to go on to the third exam.

It seemed kind of unfair that some of them, even though they had passed the two previous exams, weren't immediately qualified to go onto the third exam. So what if the tournament was a little longer than normal? Naruto would bet his entire wallet that the people watching would love to see more fights. Provided they weren't forfeits, of course. But who in their right mind would forfeit right off the bat for no reason?

The board finally stopped with a beep, and he turned to it to see the two names it had stopped on. Sabaku no Temari vs Inuzuka Kiba. He sighed, but out of disappointment, rather than relief. Naruto was just itching for a fight, especially after he found out he'd missed a lot while unconscious in the forest.

The girl named Temari glided down off of the opposite balcony into the center of the room, while Kiba just hefted himself over the railing and landed with a thud in a crouch in front of her. He growled quietly and looked up at her with a snarl. If she was intimidated at all, she didn't show it. Naruto began to feel a grudging respect for the sand kunoichi. She wasn't the typical fangirl type that most kunoichi their age group were.

Hayated looked at both of them, reminding them that the fight ended if he stepped in. At both of their nods, he raised and dropped his hand quickly. "Begin!"

Kbia immediately launched forward at the girl, swiping at her, but she easily managed to block just by tilting her fan in the way. Kiba snarled and jumped back alongside Akamaru. "Shikyaku no jutsu!"His nails and teeth lengthened, and Kiba's overall appearance became more animalistic. Once again, if this shocked the kunoichi at all, she didn't show it. She merely pulled out the gigantic fan of hers and opened it.

"I'll beat you without even moving from this spot." she bragged.

Kiba snarled before charging at her again, "Don't get your hopes up!"

But he was blocked again by her fan, and when Akamaru likewise tried to get her, she swiftly turned and kicked the dog away. Kiba turned, wide eyes, as Akamaru bounced and skidded across the floor, before turning to Temari. "You bitch!" He ran over to Akamaru to make sure he was alright, but that turned out to be a big mistake.

Temari quickly unfurled her fan fully, and just as Kiba bent over Akamaru, she swung it hard, creating a huge gust of wind that cut at Kiba and Akamaru. it even picked Akamaru up and slammed the dog against the wall, and with a pitiful whine, the dog fell on the ground whimpering in pain.

Kiba was beyond himself in anger, and with a furious cry, he yelld out, "Gatsuuga!" and turned into a spirling fang aimed right at the sand kunoichi.

Temari had to move aside to avoid getting hit, but Kiba glimpsed the edge of her fan and tore part of it to pieces. Her eyes widened as she finally showed some shock. And then Naruto saw a very familir look—the look of a very angry kunoichi. Somewhere in the back of his head, Naruto stored away the idea to finding out of kunoichi were specifically trained to give that look.

Kiba gripped the edge of the fan and swung around to kick hard into Temari's back, sending her flying forward. Moments before she hit the wall herself, she hit the ground with the tip of her fan and vaulted herself up near the railing, throwing several kunai at Kiba at the same time.

Kiba defelcted some with his own Kunai, and quickly went into a gatsuuga to chase after the sand kunoichi, who had to dodge immediately or risk being mauled by Kiba's claws. She jumped back down onto the ground, keeping her eyes on the leaf nin. Abruptly a hand gripped her fan from behind and kicked the back of her leg, knocking her onto her knees, before another blow hit her on the back of the head and sent her sprawling across the ground. She looked up to see two Kiba's, one holding her fan, and the other the one that had just been on the railing.

"How..?" she began. She hadn't even seen him make a clone. Then she looked over to where the dog had been, only to see an empty spot.

"Akamaru can take on my form when we fight together, making us an unstoppable duo. Two against one…you couldn't have beat us from the start.

Temari groaned, and then kawarimed, with the fan. Suddenly, she was between the two Kibas, and the fan was where she had been. She kicked out into one of the Kibas, knocking him to the ground, before turning and blocking a blow from the other Kiba. She gripped his wrist, turned, and hurled him up and over her shoulder, flipping him into his back. She wasn't strong in taijustsu by any means, but she at least knew how to stop attacks and and create some room for her to retreat and use her fan again, which is exactly what she did.

With Kiba and his dog down, she quickly leapt over to her fan and picked it up. Temari pulled the fan back and released an even bigger gust of wind before at Kiba, who had to hold up his hands to shield his face, and even then the wind was pushing him closer and closer to the wall. It was all he could do to stand in one spot. Growling, he got down on all fours and dug his nails into the concrete for grip. Once Temari was sure his guard was down, she shut her fan quickly and jumped at Kiba, who didn't even have a chance to react before her fan smashed right into the side of his head, knocking him off his feet and into the wall a few feet away.

Temari hurried over to Akamaru and pulled out a kunai, and as Kiba got up, groaning she yelled out. "Give up now! Or I swear I'll gut this furball right here!"

Kiba stopped. Immediately. He just froze in place, watching the kunai in her hand hover over an unconscious Akamaru. He seemed too shocked to move for a moment, before his head fell and he raised his hand in forfiet. "I give," he said.

Hayate nodded, and walked over to Temari. "Winner, Sabaku no Temari."

As Temari walked up the steps to return to her team, medic nins hurried into the arena to check up on both Kiba and Akamaru, and they were escorted out of the chamber.

"Well that was a surprise." remarked Sakura. "I was sure Kiba would win, since he's strong at close range, and that girl was obviously a long range fighter, who normally don't do well close up."

Kakashi nodded, "yes, but that girl's weapons weren't kunai or thrown weapons that Kiba could dodge. That fan provides pretty good cover and keeps enemies away with the wind—it makes a strong weapon, combining both defense and offense."

"Yeah. I get the feeling that those sand nins are all pretty strong," said Naruto. "The Gaara guy really gives off a uneasy feeling."

"Maybe to you, dobe." said Sasuke. "But I doubt he could handle my Sharingan."

Naruto just shoot his head in exasperation. He doubted Sasuke thought anyone could beat 'him and his Sharingan'. He couldn't wait to see the look on Sasuke's face when he got his ass handed to him.

The board beeped again, and Naruto looked up to see Neji vs. Hinata._'Interesting. They're in same family.'_

He looked over to see Hinata's face. Complete fear. On the other hand, Neji's face as stoic as ever, but he had the slight gleam in his eye that gave away his feelings entirely. Both of them walked down, side by side, to the floor below. Neji stood calmly, his feet apart and shoulders back. His arms were relaxed at his sides. Hinata on the other hand had her shoulders hunched, her hands toying with each other in front of her, and her feet far too close together. She looked closed in on herself.

They were polar opposites.

"Begin!" shouted Hayate, before he jumped back next to Anko and the Hokage.

"A word of advice. Give up."

The girl, if possible, moved even farther in on herself, and while Neji continuously berated her for her weakness, she never once defended herself or said anything back. It took all of Naruto's willpower to not jump down and bash the guy's head in—because what he was saying to insult Hinata, was also an insult to everything he stood for.

His fingernails were digging into the railing, and if Kurenai hadn't put a hand on his shoulder and asked him to relax, he was pretty sure his eyes would have been red as well. Finally, after Hinata looked as though she was about to cry, and give up without even putting up a fight, he yelled out loudly to her.

"Damn it Hinata! What are you doing? Say something! Don't let him tell you those things like it's a fact! Beat him up!"

For a moment, all eyes swiveled to Naruto, either in annoyance or shock, but he didn't even bother to realize. Instead, all he saw was the subtle switch in Hinata's eyes after she listened to him, and the whispered, "Thank you, Naruto-kun". He'd gotten through to her. The resolve formed in her eyes, and her stance suddenly became more confident, and she assumed the jyuuken stance.

"Let us fight, Neji-niisan."

What followed shortly after made Naruto deeply question whether he had done the right thing. Hinata had been clearly outclassed by Neji, and the fight quickly went from seemingly equal, to a beating almost unbearable to watch. But even as she took blow after blow from an increasingly furious Neji, Hinata continued to stand and continue the fight.

Naruto could feel Kurenai's hand digging into his shoulder uncomfortably, as she was probably just as uncomfortable watching her student as he was. Still, neither of them spoke a word. Hinata had chosen to change, and regardless of how bad Naruto or Kurenai felt, it wouldn't change Hinata's resolve. Soon, it was over. The jounin eventually _did_ step in to stop Neji from dealing a fatal blow—too angry to think through his actions clearly. Hinata was taken away into the medical ward, and the board which dictated their fates resumed it's flashing of names...

Shikamaru vs. Kiri no Hachiro. A labored sigh drifted over the room at the names. "Ah...so troublesome. Do I have to go?" Shikamaru asked.

Asuma bent over and whispered something into Shikamaru's ear, and the boy nodded slowly. "I see. Alright well then I guess I'll have to...not go." Shikamaru began to sit down to take a nap when Ino stepped forward angrily. "Oh no you don't you idiot!" She pushed him hard over the railing, making him fall down in front of the examiner and the mist genin.

The mist genin raised an eyebrow. "I have to fight this idiot?"

Shikamaru got up slowly, dusting himself off. "I know...I don't even want to fight...but unfortunately I think not fighting will be more troublesome than just getting this over with..."

Hayate lowered his hand. "Hajime!"

Immediately, the mist genin made a single seal, and the room began to fill with a misty fog. "Kirigakure no jutsu!"

The onlookers all mentally sighed as the match faded from view. After all, their only source of amusement had just been taken away from them.

Still, there was the sounds of kunai slicing through the air, only to strike the metallic clang of another blade blocking it. The sounds of fighting swirled in the mists as the other contenders and the jounin sensei could only look on. Naruto stared down into the mist, gripping the railing tight with white knuckles.

"Come on Shikamaru! Beat him already!" he shouted, and was soon echoed by the other Konoha ninja.

For the most part, they couldn't tell what was going on. Stretches of silence would linger, punctuated occasionally by the sounds of blades clashing or fists crunching. They had a brief glimpse of them however. There was the swish of a blade, and the clang of it hitting the concrete ground before a small explosion erupted. Shikamaru had managed to create a pocket of clean area inside the mist by using an explosive tag.

As the other genin watched, he quickly threw several tags into the mists in a circle around him. He readied his shadow and sat, waiting, for any sign of the mist genin once the explosions revealed him. Just before the kunai exploded however, one soared back at him from the mists. Shikamaru swore. He abandoned his shadow jutsu pose and quickly leapt out of the way, but unfortunately had to land in the mist, closer to his own kunai. They exploded, and flew him back forward, and he just barely managed to tuck into a roll safely on the ground.

As the mist begin to fill in their field of view, Shikamaru quickly threw out several more kunai, and quickly followed each one with a tendril of shadow.

There was silence for a moment, when finally they heard, "Kagemane no jutsu, success."

There was a short silence, punctuated with an explosion and the sound of bones smashing into the concrete. Then Shikamaru's voice rose through the fog again. "Surrender, or I'll continue..."

A choked voice rasped out, "I give."

The mist cleared, and Naruto leaned forward eagerly to see just what had happened.

Below, the mist nin was slumped on the ground near the wall that the explosive tag had thrown him into. He was still gripping the kunai that Shikamaru had thrown, which was held at his own throat.

Hayate stepped forward, again. "Winner, Nara Shikamaru."

Naruto looked over at the other genin to see if they understood what had happened.. Most people seemed disappointed with the fight. It was as though _nothing_ happened. Well, it did, but they couldn't see it.

Then Kakashi spoke. "That was quite clever."

Asuma grunted. "That's Shikamaru for you. He never ceases to amaze me with how quickly he adapts to make a new strategy."

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked, just as confused as most of the other genin.

Asuma glanced down at her, before folding his arms and looking back down at Shikamaru while he spoke. "Shikamaru's justsu takes his own shadow and captures his enemies. Once he has the enemy's shadow, his body mimics everything Shikamaru does. The trick, of course is that the jutsu normally requires Shikamaru to see the person he's capturing."

"But that doesn't explain what he did!" Sakura said, exasperated.

"I'm getting to that. It's quite simple actually. He originally threw those explosive tags to clear some sort of view for himself so he could fight on equal ground. But once he realized that the mist nin would throw them back at him and that the strategy would be used against him, Shikamaru adapted, and quickly attached his shadow to the kunais' shadows."

Naruto nodded in understanding. So once the enemy picked up the kunai, their own shadow merged with the kunai's shadow, and so did Shikamaru's kagemane technique.

The board, flashed, displaying two more names: Tenten vs. Misumi Tsurugi

Both genin were from Konoha. One was the girl on Gai's team, and the other was a genin from Kabuto's team. They faced off in front of Hayate and briefly wished each other luck before Hayate began the match.

Tenten immediately jumped back from her opponent, about midway from the wall and Tsurugi, and pulled out several kunai, launching them all at the other genin. He blocked them with his own kunai, and charged at Tenten, who evaded him easily, and stepped back again, keeping the same distance from Tsurugi.

"So you're not a taijutsu type, I take it?" asked Tsurugi.

Tenten smiled. "I'm afraid not."

"What do you specialize in, then? Genjutsu or Ninjutsu?"

"Making human pincushions." She pulled out a large scroll as she said so, and smiled at Tsurugi. "Now, let's get started."

Naruto snorted a laugh at Tenten's response. Human pincushions, eh? Well, right then, Tsurugi was having a hard time dodging and blocking a barrage of thrown weapons, and couldn't truly land anything on Tenten without getting close. Problem was, in order to get close, he had to first evade all the weapons, and then he also had to make sure Tenten didn't jump away from him.

He had just managed to block one weapon when he turned his head to see a kunai hurtling straight at him. He bent backwards to narrowly avoid it and feel it whistle by and nick his cheek. A thick line of blood traced it's path from his cheek to just below his eye. Had he been any slower, and he'd actually be dead.

But stopping to think didn't mean Tenten slowed down as well. She was already summoning more weapons, throwing more and more, keeping Tsurugi at a safe distance. The long this went on, the more likely he'd be hit and this would be over without him even landing a blow.

Tsurugi kept that in mind as he slowly began to charge at Tenten from different directions, careful of the hail of weapons, and making her jump back each time. Slowly, he backed her into a corner.

It wasn't long before Tenten jumped back and realized she didn't have room to jump back again. She had been idiotic. Above her, Lee shouted his encouragement. She didn't need that now though. She steeled herself. She wasn't good with just hand on hand, and this seemed to be what Tsurugi wanted. She pulled out a smaller scroll at her hip and summoned a staff, preparing for the fight. She'd have to push him back enough so that she could flip their positions—him in the corner; her out in the open.

Tsurugi charged at her, and smiled behind his mask when she swung the pole at him. He let it hit his arm, but instead of hearing the loud crack of bone that everyone expected, all they heard was his laughter when his arm twined around the staff. Her eyes widened in shock and she gave an experimental tug on the staff, but couldn't move it. Thinking fast, Tenten let one hand off the staff to reach for another scroll and summon another weapon. That was her mistake. Tsurugi quickly jerked on the staff. He was much stronger than her. The staff ripped out of her hands and tsurugi quickly managed to smack it fully into her side. Soft flesh and brittle ribs met with the hard crack of her own staff, knocking the wind out of Tenten, and giving Tsurugi time to charge and her and quickly wrap himself around her. His own body, elastic as it was, was better than any rope at confining people and strangling them. As long as he could cling onto you, his could choke you like a snake.

"Mmm. You feel nice..." he murmured, too quiet for anyone but her to hear. Guising his actions as wrestling her to the ground, he took great pleasure in grabbing her. What could he say? She had nice...assets. And he'd take some pleasure in this himself after almost getting hit by her weapons.

She coughed out, heaving for air, and vainly tried to squirm out of his grip. The bastard! Infuriated, she glared at him and began reaching for a kunai that she always kept in her pants leg. So far as Tsurugi knew, she had to summon all of her weapons.

Tsurugi, for his part, just chuckled lightly. "Oh? Fiesty, aren't we? Well, I enjoy the feeling of a girl squirming beneath me...your breasts rubbing against me...delectable."

"Enough, you pervert!" she shrieked. Tenten finally managed to reach the kunai, and stabbed it right into his arm, making him loosen his hold on her. "I swear to everyone here, I'm going to be castrating you before this match is over."

He backed away quickly, holding onto the wound in his arm, when she picked up the staff and swung it again at him. "Let's see you wrap your dick around this, bastard!"

And the pole met full on, right between his legs. He let out one strangled cry of pain, before he slumped to the ground, out of breath, and feeling like he'd throw up his entire stomach. Oh god...the pain.

All of the males in the room instinctively protected their own areas, and distanced themselves from any angry looking kunoichi. Who knows when kunoichi might start a worldwide ball-crushing war? Better to be safe than sorry. The only brave male ninja in the room was Gaara, who simply raised his eyebrow at all the other males. He was fortunate to never experience being hurt there, and so he had no fear...

While the men were preoccupied, Tenten started stalking towards Tsurugi, a kunai in hand, and fire in her eyes. Was she going to hold herself to her promise? Castration? Hayate's eys widened in realization, and came to his senses; stepping in front of the kunoichi. He coughed, and, eyeing the kunia, gently took her hand. "That's enough," he whispered. "Winner, Tenten."

As Tsurugi was carried off to the medical ward and Tenten walked up to a rejoicing Lee and Gai, along with a more stoic Neji, the board settled once more on a set of names, and Naruto sighed. This time, he was simply getting tired of waiting.

Sabaku no Gaara vs. Dosu

Dosu, a sound nin, snorted at the last fight, and confidently jumped over the railing to land in the center of the room. He was the sand nin with the large metal attachment to his arm and he seemed to be wrapped in bandages. Gaara simply...materialized out of sand. Naruto had to admit, it looked pretty cool. Probably some form of shunshin? He leaned over the railing, eager to see just how good Gaara was.

What followed had to be the most brutal match in the entire Chuunin exams.

As Dosu stood, cracking his neck and making a great show of loosening up, he nodded over to Gaara. "So, carry that gourd around all day, huh? Seems like a pretty useless weapon if you ask me. How do you even hide wearing that?"

"Mother and I don't need to hide."

With that, Gaara quickly brought a thick stream of sand out of his gourd, seemingly animated by his chakra. It snapped towards Dosu as if it had a mind of its own, while Gaara simply stood in place, watching impassively.

Dosu leapt to the side, barely dodging the sand, and turned over his shoulder to watch it zip by him and crash into the concrete in a wave of sand before falling uselessly to the floor.

He shook his head. That sand was fast, but if all it could do was attack and then fall uselessly to the ground…

And that was when the sand came back to life, both from the ground behind him, and more pouring out of Gaara's gourd. Dosu's eyes buldged as he realized his predicament. That sand could easily surround him.

It was all Dosu could do to dodge the waves of sand. Everyone in the room seemed to know, without any words being passed between them, that if the sand caught him, Dosu would be finished.

The sound nin began resorting to throwing kunai, only to see them blocked by the sand that shot up to stop them. Even explosive notes were swatted away to blow up near the walls rather than Gaara. One finally did get near enough to Gaara, but when it detonated and the smoke clear, a thick wall of sand had been erected in front of the explosion.

"Mother is hungry. She does not like to be kept waiting."

Dosu was running out of breath. The sand was everywhere, and while he kept jumping, rolling, and throwing everything he could at the sand, Gaara hadn't moved from his spot.

Even the jounin seemed to be impressed with Gaara and his balance of defense and offense. All of them were wondering just how it could be broken, ranging from an speed greater than the sand, to more powerful jutsu, and although there were plenty of theories, Naruto had to lean towards Kurenai's theory that simple Genjutsu would be best. Afterall, sand can only block things that are physical.

Dosu found a different way however. He eventually gave up on any hope of hitting Gaara directly and charged in towards the genin, jumping over the sand and using every ounce of agilty to dodge the sand. Only once, after he had landed from jumping over one large arm of sand, did another swat him aside like a fly. He narrowly managed to avoid getting caught in it, and kept charging at Gaara. He had to get closer. When he finally did manage to get within arm's reach with Gaara, He pulled his arm back, closed his eyes, and swung. It was now or never, the sand, or his arm.

Everyone went wide eyed when the boy swung his mechanical arm, and...missed?

Sakura rolled her eyes. "What an IDIOT!" Silently, Naruto agreed. It was one thing to be blocked, but another entirely for you to miss what you're trying to punch...

Still, they were proven wrong when Gaara suddenly jerked, and began retching. Everyone stared with wide eyes. What had happened?

Dosu didn't even bother to explain, but instead pulled out a kunai slowly, and tried to jam it into Gaara, when the wall of sand shot up again and blocked him.

"Wha-?" was the only thing he could say before the same sand shot out and grabbed his arm, and picked him up off the ground.

Gaara was still retching on the ground, and suddenly began the scream, holding his head. But the sand truly did seem to have a mind of its own, and Dosu let out a piercing scream as the sand flowed quickly, engulfing him entirely, only to whip Dosu harshly into the wall, over...and over... and over, leaving spatters of blood each time as flresh tour against the rough concrete walls and his head cracked. Finally, the sand dropped him, and everyone who had been watching from the railing, wide eyed and white knuckled, relaxed, believing it was over.

But now Gaara had finally recovered. He had a maniacal gleam in his eyes as he reached out with his hand as if to grasp something, and the sand mimicked him by grabbing Dosu.

It all happened so fast.

Realizing what was about to happen, the Hokage tapped Hayate, who nodded and jumped out to stop the match. Naruto watched as a wide, sickly smile grew on Gaara's face as his loose fist tighted sharply, screaming "Sabaku Kyuu!" and the sand that had wrapped around Dosu snapped closed, crushing the sound nin's body with a sickening crunch. Desert sand ran red as the sound genins blood seeped through in first a torrent, like a bucket being upended, to finally thick droplets, creating a pool of blood at Gaara's feet.

To his side, Naruto could hear Sakura losing her lunch, and many of the genins' faces were pale. Even Kakashi seemed stunned at the display of brutality.

When it was over, the walls and floors were covered with blood, and the only recognizable part of Dosu's...body was his head, which had rolled slowly over to face up at the sealing, letting everyone see his blank eyes. Those genin who hadn't lost their lunch before found the opportunity then.

Gaara, for all of his maniacal brutality, calmly walked back to the railing; his footsteps the only noise in the room.

While the Hokage and the sand team spoke, the examiner performed several quick Suiton jutsus to help...clean the room, and the board eventually started to flash again. Naruto would've cheered if he had felt okay at the moment, but after seeing Gaara's match, he suddenly didn't feel up to it.

The matchup? Uzumaki Naruto vs. Aburame Shino.

Naruto looked at Anko, who caught his eye while twirling a kunai around her finger. She gave him a reassuring smile and a wink before silently mouthing, "You lose, and I'll kill you. Slowly."

He gulped and nodded, before walking down to his match, nodding as some people wished him or Shino luck.

Naruto met Shino in front of Hayate with a somewhat weak smile, still feeling a little sick from the previous match. Shino appeared stoic as ever, although Naruto knew that he had felt sick from the last match as well.

"Well...good luck, right Shino?"

Shino nodded, and they both jumped away from each other when the match first started. Naruto immediately used several Kage bunshin. He knew of Shino's kikai bugs, and he wanted to see if he could simply overwhelm him first with numbers before resorting to actually killing the bugs. He didn't want Shino to bear any grudge for killing his entire colony or whatever.

Only, after a few Kage bunshin fell to his bugs, Shino did something...unexpected, and made several Kikai bunshin—clones that looked like Shino, but were actually the bugs. Worse, when they got hit, they didn't disappear; instead they broke up into the individual bugs and swarmed over him. If the real him got hit, he'd lose his chakra pretty fast.

He pulled out a couple shuriken and threw them, calling out "Kage shuriken no jutsu!"

They multiplied into a huge group and a bunch of the kikai clones got hit, letting Naruto find out which ones could be real and which ones might still be Shino. Tons of Shino clones disappeared, as did Naruto's clone shuriken, creating a screen of both bugs and smoke.

The only problem with breaking up some of the clones, was that the bugs began flying around him, encircling him. If he backed up, there were plenty of kikai bugs to devour his chakra. If he went forward, there were four Shino's looking him. He got frustrated and sent his remaining Kage bunshin towards Shino, while he turned around and quickly performed his incomplete Kaza no Yaiba, which instead of creating blades of wind like it should, instead created a huge gust of wind from his hands.

He turned and blew all the bugs around him backwards with the fierce gust, giving him some breathing room, and time to think.

Naruto began to throw explosive tags towards the bugs when they gathered in a group. As swathes of the bugs were killed, Naruto didn't want to have to kill Shino's bugs, but he knew if he gave room in this fight out of some sort of friendly gesture, he'd definitely lose.

An angry wave of kikai bugs flew towards Naruto, and the short battle that followed left Naruto drained of a lot of chakra, and Shino had lost a good portion of his colony.

"Sorry, Shino. I wouldn't kill them if I didn't have to..."

Shino's nod of understanding was barely noticeable, but Naruto caught it, and gave his own nod in return.

Still, the match had to continue, and Naruto gathered his chakra, cursing the fact that Orochimaru had done something to his connection with the Kyuubi. His healing and his chakra suffered because of it. Even as he completed the seals for the immolation technique, Naruto could see the bugs circling around again, and began to drain Naruto's chakra when they landed on him. When the immolation technique activated, tons of bugs were incinerated off of his body, and the ones that weren't touched by the flames flew off immediately.

Shino withdrew his bugs quickly, and began focusing them instead on Naruto's feet and legs, which Naruto hadn't learned to cover in flame yet.

It had quickly become a war of attrition. Would Shino's bugs drain Naruto first? Or would Naruto kill of the bugs before that could happen? As the bugs closed in, Naruto performed another Kaza no Yaiba, but instead of just being a gust of wind this time, the wind took hold of the flames on his hands and shot them forward, throwing flames out in a huge swath towards Shino's bugs.

To the onlookers, it looked like Shino was watching his bugs circle around Naruto in such a thick mass that the other genin couldn't even be seen, except for when huge flames would erupt, killing the bugs, and creating waves of heat that would wash over the room.

It wasn't for a while before Naruto saw and opening and managed to create several Kage bunshin, which quickly charged out of the opening in the bugs to fight with Shino, while Naruto dealt with the rest of the bugs, which couldn't kill off the Kage Bunshin without Naruto killing them.

Needless to say, Shino wasn't good with taijutsu, and being teamed up with several kage bunshin took its toll. Even if he did get rid of them eventually, he was tired, and the bugs hadn't faired too well either, since finally Naruto managed to break out, and the bugs were too few to do anything to his immense chakra stores at that point.

As he was trying to think of a new plan, one of the clones finally got past his block, nearly crushing Shino's glasses with his fist, and sending his world reeling. Another clone swept his legs out from under him while a third kicked his already falling body in the side, making him double over and lay on the ground.

As a latch ditch effort, Shino pulled his bugs away from the real Naruto and concentrated on his Kage bunshin instead, which were quickly defeated in clouds of smoke.

The room had cleared, save for the real Shino and real Naruto, covered in flames. They stood, facing each other.

"Wind and fire techniques?" murmured Temari, watching the blonde genin from Konoha from up above. "Glad you didn't end up picking that fight with him earlier in the village, Kankuro. He looks dangerous."

Beside her, Gaara had a maniacal gleam in his eye again. "Mother will be please. Yes, she will. Yes, Mother."

Kankuro and Temari shivered at their brothers mutterings, and glanced back down at the fight. "I could take him," Kankuro said. "A little poison from one of my puppets and he'd be done. Fire and wind don't help you with that."

"Either way, looks like this fight is decided," Temari said, nodding to the contestants.

Shino had caught Hayate's eye, and raised his hand in defeat. Hayate nodded and ended the match.

"Winner, Uzumaki Naruto."

Said blonde haired genin let out a small smile as he slumped to the ground, exhausted from his fight.

As Shino returned to his team, Naruto was helped off to the medical ward, making sure his chakra levels were alright. They were, and it seemed no matter how much he protested that he was just a little tired, it seemed "procedure" outranked him.

Anko sighed as Naruto was lead out of the room. "Well, I guess Nar-kun gets to live another day." suddenly, she brightened up considerably. "Lucky me!"

The Hokage turned towards her with a raised eyebrow, but didn't bother to say anything.

The board started beeping again, and everyone turned to see what the next match up would be.

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They took Naruto to a larger room with different benches and even a few beds—somewhat like they combined a few hospital rooms, as well as the waiting benches from the outside, into one larger room. Nauro was sat onto one of the beds and told to rest for a while before turning to the arena. As he deeply contemplated the different reasons such a request was impossible for him, Naruto was broken from his thoughts by a tentative, "N-Naruto-kun?"

He turned to see Hinata looking at him from her own bed, weakly trying to sit up. Kiba got up and pushed her back down; growling for her to be still like they'd told her to be. He looked up at Naruto, slightly glaring, as if it was his fault Hinata was hurt.

After a few moments of silence, Kiba's glare let up and he asked, "Who'd you fight against?"

Now, Naruto had never thought he'd be apprehensive about telling someone of his victory, but this was a special case. In front of him were Shino's two teammates, Hinata and Kiba, and it occurred to him that they might not appreciate the idea of him beating their teammate...Especially since that made it so team 8 didn't get any farther than the prelims at all. Briefly, Naruto felt bad for them, as well as Kurenai-sensei, whom he knew was a far better sensei that Kakashi ever would be, and that she had trained team 8 into the ground to get them ready for these exams. He gulped as he looked into Kiba's eyes and quietly answered him.

"I beat Shino."

Both Hinata and Kiba looked at him in stunned silence for a moment before Kiba seemed to stiffen. "You..._beat_Shino?"he asked incredulously.

He nodded and watched as the different emotions played across their faces, grief, regret, anger, and finally, the most surprising, pride.

Kiba nodded towards him and gave him a gruff congratulations, but Hinata wore a smile which seemed to shine brilliantly. She managed to choke out very heartfelt congratulations, and even expressed her confidence in him for the third exam, before Kiba had her lay back down and be quiet again. As Hinata rested, and eventually fell asleep, Kiba explained that Hinata had suffered a lot of damage from Neji, and that the chances of her recovering fully were slim.

Naruto nodded in sympathy, and silently swore that he'd be teaching Neji a swift lesson sometime soon. Hinata was a gentle person and hadn't deserved that at all. He was about to express the idea to Kiba when suddenly Kiba's hand shot out and slammed him down on to the bed. Kiba was leaning over him, almost snarling like a dog would, his canines bared.

"I hope you realize," he growled out, tightening his grip on Naruto's neck. "That the reason she's on that bed isn't just Neji's fault... It's just as much yours as well."

"what? But I—!" Naruto protested, but Kiba hit him. Hard. As his vision got a little fuzzy from the blow, Kiba explained slowly...clearly trying to make his point drive home.

"She told me everything from her fight, idiot. And the _only_reason she fought was because you encouraged her. Now that might seem like a _wonderful_ thing, but she knew she couldn't beat him, and that Neji would fucking love the chance to do what he did. He almost killed her, you fucking bastard. Now I want you to think long and hard about the sacrifice she made for your god damn approval. She thinks she loves you, but you don't even care about her, do you? I bet you've never even noticed how she looks at you."

Kiba paused for a moment, his eyes scanning Naruto's face for any sign of understanding. He nails had long since drawn blood into the blonde's neck, but neither of them seemed to care. Neither of them seemed to even realize there were other people there—some med nin, Tsurugi, or several other genin that had walked into the room—presumably having been hurt during their recent match ups.

Kiba seemed to calm down, but there was still a strong undercurrent of anger laced through his voice. "Let me tell you something Naruto—even if you do realize how much she means to you now, I hope you also realize that you'll never be good enough for her."

Naruto said nothing for awhile. Neither did Kiba. They just stared at each other silently, and eventually, Naruto whispered, "You like her, don't you?"

The slight widening of Kiba's eyes was all he needed. Naruto wasn't mad at Kiba for how he'd acted. He actually thought it was a pretty honorable and decent thing to do. Hinata was his teammate, and she had gotten hurt because of his stupidity. Even more, he liked Hinata, maybe even loved her. He smiled reassuringly at Kiba,

There was a tense silence again, when a small voice interrupted them.

"um.. What are you two talking about?" asked Sakura.

They turned and realized they had a set of onlookers; Sakura, both of Kabuto's team mates, and Chouji.

Naruto rubbed his neck while Kiba's mouth worked, grasping for answers that didn't come. Luckily, Naruto was used to being put on the spot after pranks and getting into trouble, so he was good with excuses and lying. "Kiba and I just had a little argument, thats all. He's a little mad about me beating Shino, especially since their team is probably the team that trains the hardest out of all the rookies, and if anyone deserves to be chuunin..."

Chouji and Sakura nodded, while Kabuto's team mate got up to talk to Tsurugi.

Naruto and Kiba turned towards Sakura and Chouji. "So who did you two fight?" Naruto asked.

"I fought a sound nin girl...Kin, I think her name was." answered Sakura.

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Well?"

"Well what?"

"Did you win?"

Sakura's face fell. "No...She had this stupid illusion, and it made me see a lot of her...I couldn't tell where she was hitting me from."

Naruto nodded his head sympathetically...even if he didn't really care all that much. Team 7's chemistry wasn't all that great. They didn't mix or care about each other as much as they should. Well except for Sakura caring about Sasuke, but that was only one out of all of them. Sasuke didn't care about either of them, and Naruto found he didn't care much either. Team 7's problems were something to think about another time though. He put that aside and turned towards Chouji.

"What about you? Who'd you fight?"

Chouji was muching on a bag of chips, as usual, when he answered. "The green kid on Gai's team. Lee."

Naruto grinned. "Oh? He's pretty tough, and fast. He kicked Sasuke's ass before the first exam."

Kiba, Naruto, and Chouji all ignored Sakura's indignant squawking about Sasuke, and instead shared some of Chouji's chips together as they talked.

"Yeah he got me pretty good. I couldn't keep up with him at all—plus he hits really hard." explained Chouji.

"Heh. So I wonder who else is moving on to the third round?" asked Naruto.

Chouji pulled his hand out of the chip bag and began counting names off with his fingers. "Well there are you, Shikamaru, Tenten, Neji, Lee, all three of those sand nins, the sound kunoichi, and Sasuke so far."

Sakura finally seemed to have finished her rant about Sasuke losing to Lee before the first exam and instead went off on one about his greatness by making it to the third round.

"What about Ino?" asked Kiba, ignoring Sakura.

"I don't know. Her match was just starting when I left." said Chouji.

"So who was she up against? I don't remember there being any more genin."

"The mist nin..." answered Chouji. "I don't really know much of anything. All I heard was her use the Kirigakure no jutsu thing, and I don't know how Ino can handle that. Team 10 didn't really train much on our solo abilities...we're much stronger when we act as a team, and Ino needs to be able to see someone for her jutsu to work well."

Just then Anko walked into the room, shoving the door hard, which smacked into a medic nin. As he clutched his nose in pain, she calmly walked up to Naruto.

"Well, how does it feel to be the only genin that won and is still in the infirmary? I knew you were bad, but not _that_ bad." she teased.

Naruto scowled at her, and she laughed, smiling. He couldn't help but smile as well.

"I'm just kidding around, Naru-kun! You did great! Here's your _present_."

She leaned down and fiercely pulled him to her before smashing her lips onto his. His eyes shot wide open in shock. Anko deepened the kiss quickly, and ran her tongue along his lips, quickly taking the opportunity to explore his mouth with her tongue. He just sat there stupidly, too shocked to really reciprocate. Before long, it had ended.

She stood up, licking her lips and studying Naruto's stunned face. She waved her hand in front of Naruto, and when he didn't respond, she laughed again, snapping him out of his shock.

"Well, it seems you can't handle my kisses, Naru-kun..." she said mocking disappointment. "I guess I'll just have to hold off on them until you can...I was really looking forward to it too! Oh well..."

She winked before going on, in a much more serious tone of voice. "You need to start practicing too. If that bug boy almost beat you, then you definitely can't handle that Gaara kid if you end up fighting him in the third exam. You got a month to prepare though, so I'd start as soon as you can."

He nodded and she handed him a sheet of paper. "What's this?"

"Thats the brackets for the third phase. I'd study it and make sure you know who you might end up fighting. Good luck Naru-kun!" She gave him a quick wink and shunshined out of the room.

Naruto studied the brackets. The match ups were written in a neat, flowing script.

BYE vs. Kankuro

Naruto vs. Kiri no Yuuki

Temari vs. Shikamaru

Tenten vs. Kin

Sasuke vs. Lee

Gaara vs. Neji

_'So I'm fighting the mist kunoichi. I'll have to ask Ino what it was like. After that I fight Kankuro, and then I might fight either Temari or Shikamaru. Then...Damn it! I can fight anyone on this list! There's no way to tell who might beat who! Anko didn't help at all!'_

He looked up to see a stunned Chouji and Kiba, the bag of chips forgotten on the floor, where it landed after Chouji dropped them in shock. Sakura was still talking to the space in between them about Sasuke. He waved his hands in front of the two guys, and didn't get any response. Finally, he smacked the two of them to snap them out of it.

"What are you guys so shocked about?" he snapped.

They both shook their heads, and stared at Naruto with a look of pure awe and admiration. Finally Kiba spoke. "Dude...Anko practically just made out with you...please tell me how you got one of the hottest jounins to like you."

Chouji nodded fervently. "You are a role model to all other men..."

Naruto just blushed, reliving Anko's kiss.

Ino walked in soon afterwards, to see Sakura just blabbing on to the space between the three boys about how great Sasuke was. Apparently nobody was paying attention to her. The really weird thing though was that Kiba and Chouji were nearly worshiping Naruto with their eyes.

She shook her head, rubbing her temples. Maybe she got hit a little too hard by that mist kunoichi? She had to be seeing things. Who would ever look at Naruto like _that?_

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**End of CHAPTER 10**

OKAY. I discovered I HATE writing chapters with too many fight scenes. I feel like I didn't develop the storyline at all, at least, not until after the fights. Still, I suppose it sets things up so in other chapters I can develop them? Anyway, um...sorry for it being later than I said. I umm had to help an old lady cross the street? It took a long time.


	11. Training and Finals!

Disclaimer– "Even bad books are books and therefor sacred." - Gunter Wilhem Grass

The Maelstrom of Konoha **-1.11**

**The Tale of a Young Boy's Ascent into the Legends**

_Hm. Well, I don't have much to say about this chapter. But, enjoy! Next chapter is out Monday probably. -Cantor_

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Naruto nearly stumbled over a little kid that was reaching for a toy as he jogged through the streets of Konoha. The boy's parents quickly pulled the kid back and scowled at Naruto. _'Probably my fault somehow' _thought Naruto. He quickly ran up Main street, which would eventually take him to the clan districts of Konoha. The neighborhoods were normally less crowded there, and the scenery was admittedly nicer.

He jumped over a cart full of produce that an old man was pushing, mumbling a quick apology and kept on running. He had been surprised that so many leaf ninja's had made it to the finals of the Chuunin Exams. Especially considering how many hopefuls had shown up, from so many countries. Out of the eleven participants for the third portion of the exam, six of them were from Konoha. Out of the remaining five, three were from Sand, and one was from Mist. Idly he wondered if things would have been different if Konoha wasn't the village hosting the exams. After all, more Konoha nin had signed up for this Chuunin exams than any other hidden village, since being the hosting village made it much easier to sign up.

He frowned, remembering his match up. He knew absolutely nothing about this mist ninja. Of course, he had fought Zabuza and Haku before, but that really didn't give him much info on mist ninja as a whole. He nodded to himself and turned around. He knew team 10 was training right now, and he decided he'd make a quick stop to talk to Ino. She had fought against his opponent in the preliminaries, so she had to know something.

A few minutes later and Naruto found himself a small clearing, not unlike team 7's own training grounds. There was some female voice yelling in the distance, and Naruto hurried towards it to find Ino lecturing Chouji about eating so much. Shikamaru was lying on the ground next to them, staring at the sky, while Asuma seemed to be content musing over some chess board.

Naruto paused for a moment. Really, he was convinced team 8 was the only rookie team that trained. Team 7 ended up waiting for their sensei more often than not, team 10 just lazed around, and during all of this, team 8 went through constant lessons from Kurenai-sensei. He shook his head lightly at the stupidity of it all, and took a step towards the oblivious team 10.

"And if you keep eating junk like that you'll never be able to attract a cute girl, Chouji!" yelled Ino, lightly bashing the boy on the head. For his part, he just grunted, and stuffed some more chips in his mouth, and Naruto grinned at the display.

At the sound of his laughter, Shikamaru raised his head to look at him, and then promptly flopped back down onto the ground. Ino paused in smacking Chouji, and Chouji took out a new bag of chips, tossing them to Naruto.

Naruto opened the bag and took some chips out, sitting next to Chouji, while Asuma coughed and spoke up.

"Naruto...what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be training with Kakashi?" he asked.

Naruto's face darkened at the mention of Kakashi, _'two-timing bastard.' _but he quickly replaced the look with a smile, and turned towards Asuma.

"No, Asuma-sensei. I was wondering if I could speak with Ino for a moment..."

Ino pointed towards herself and mouth "Me?" And when Naruto nodded, she flopped down next to him, with a confused expression. While the rest of team 10 went back to their training...chess, sky gazing, and eating, Naruto sat back and used his elbows to keep himself up.

"I was wondering if we could talk about the preliminaries for a minute." he said.

"Oh.." Ino looked a little down trodden. "That's it?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I'm in the finals of the Chuunin exams,"

She cut him off before he could on. "I know! I couldn't believe it! I thought Sasuke-kun for sure, but you surprised all of us! Just like Shikamaru!"

"Err...yeah. Well anyway, I'm matched up against the mist genin you fought in the prelims."

"Oh... so you want me to tell you what you know about her?" she asked. At Naruto's nod, she pulled her knees closer and began idly tracing her finger in the dirt. "I'm not sure what to tell you..." she began. "The fight was quick. The kunoichi did that mist technique, and I could barely see anything. It was just misty, and after a little bit, it was over."

Naruto looked down. This wasn't at all what he was hoping for. "But you must at least be able to tell me how you got hit...or something along those lines."

Ino sighed. "She was fast...almost like Rock Lee. And she used senbon a lot. Like I said though, I couldn't fight her, so it was over quick. I don't even know what techniques she uses other than the mist."

Naruto nodded, resigned to the fact that he would have little to go on. Well... in that case, he might as well train in everything. And think of a way to counter the mist technique at least. One of his sensei must have an idea on what he could use.

He groaned as he stood up, remembering his original task that his sensei had told him to do. He waved back at team 10 and continued his jog from earlier. After that, he'd go and practice some of his jutsu, and maybe spar a little with team 8. They didn't have anyone in the finals of the chuunin exams, and they were seriously training hard to make up for it, so next time, they'd be more than ready.

He jogged up Main and eventually turned east, leading him into the Hyuuga and what was once the Uchiha district. Had he gone west, he would've been running around in more wooded areas of the Akimichi, Nara, and Aburame clan districts than the paved roads over here, with the well-manicured gardens.

The streets were pretty empty, with the occasional Hyuuga on the street, or someone running an erand. It suited Naruto just fine, and he lost track of time as he got immersed in his own thoughts. He recently found a new sensei. He was strong too. It was weird how he found him actually, and the only reason Naruto had agreed to having him train him was because Kurenai was busy training team 8, and Anko had a mission coming up soon. As for Kakashi? Well, that had been a big issue earlier that week.

The preliminaries had just ended, and when they had all headed back into Konoha, Naruto had taken Kakashi aside, thinking he'd be able to get the masked ninja to take his teaching job seriously for once, and show Naruto a few jutsu to work on.

That was all fine, and Kakashi had listened patiently as Naruto explained his reasoning. He had a tough opponent coming up, and Naruto needed some help on ways to fight a mist nin. Sakura wasn't in the finals, so she didn't need immediate training, and Sasuke could just watch Kakashi with his Sharingan while he taught Naruto. A perfect plan, right?

Evidently, Kakashi didn't agree, and told him so, not even bothering to make and excuse for his blatant favoritism at work.

"I'm sorry Naruto, but I won't have the time. Sasuke needs my attention, and I will be personally training him this month for the finals." Then, to add insult to injury, the man had the nerve to 'wish him luck' in his training. What a bag of shit.

"Well Naruto, I'm off. I have to find Sasuke-kun and begin his training. Good luck in finding a sensei to train you! We'll see you in the finals."

Naruto turned angrily, and stalked off. He'd definitely find someone to train him!

And with that thought, he ran off to Kurenai-sensei first, figuring that even though she was technically the sensei of team 8, she still taught him a lot in her free time, and since team 8 wasn't going to be competing in the finals, she'd be able to help him out.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.

"I'm sorry Naruto," sighed Kurenai. "But everyone on team 8 right now is very concentrated on getting stronger for the next time around, and I can't ignore them."

She glanced at her genin, who were currently going through several exercises. "They are my students and no matter how much I'd like to help you out, my hands are full. The most I can do is have you spar with someone. Like Kiba maybe?"

Naruto nodded, and then he found himself sparring with the other boy and his canine companion. Off to the side, Shino and Hinata were supposed to be continuing their exercises, but it seemed they slacked off a bit in favor of spectating.

"Alright, one rule: If I say it's over, then the fight is over," said Kurenai. Both boys nodded, and she, like Hayate had in the preliminaries, brought her hand down swiftly. "Begin!"

Kiba immediately used his clan technique to make himself faster, and stronger—more feral in appearance as well. As he and Akamaru both turned into two 'Kiba's', Naruto made several Kage bunshin.

The Kage bunshin didn't help much, and Kiba cut through them with ease.

"Heh, I knew you weren't much Naruto. This is my payback, for..." his glance towards Hinata wasn't lost on Naruto, who smirked.

"Bring it on, dog-breath."

The boy snarled and went to claw Naruto, who dodged easily. Training with a much more ferocious Anko in taijutsu had given him an uncanny ability to dodge, and quick reflexes on top of that. Naruto had managed to begin to adapt Anko's serpentine taijutsu style into something of his own. He still waited for the best opportunity to strike, but he also adopted a method to slyly feint and mislead Kiba, who would either attack or dodge wrongly.

Finally, Kiba paused, and yelled "Fight me head on damn it! You'd never be able to beat me if you did!"

Naruto smirked. "Oh? Fine. Let's see who can beat who."

He brought his hands together swiftly for a complex set of seals. "Beruserku no jutsu!"

The widening of Kiba's eyes was all he needed to see before he charged forward, slamming his fist into the dog boy's face. The three of them, Naruto, Kiba, and Akamaru, quickly escalated the fight into something so fierce that even Kurenai hesitated for a moment before stepping between them.

"Enough!"

All three of them immediately stopped. Kiba's nose was bleeding heavily, and Naruto had several dark bruises already forming. Akamaru for his part, seemed to be favoring his right side, and his left rear leg was held up above the ground.

Kiba snorted, but had to stop and spit out the blood that filled his mouth. "Where'd you learn that jutsu?" he asked, all his previous anger seemingly gone.

"Eh, found it lying around somewhere," answer Naruto, shrugging.

"What-? Don't screw with me!" Kiba yelled, walking towards the blond to beat the answer out of him.

"Kiba! Naruto! Stop it, right now!"  
Naruto stared back at Kiba calmly. Somehow, his emotions were reigned in for once. "If you really want to know, you'll have to ask the Hokage. That's all I'm going to say."

While Kiba seethed, the blonde turned back to Kurenai. "Sorry. I didn't mean for things to get so..."

"It's fine, Naruto." Kurenai waved at hand at him. She turned towards her team. "I think training is done for today. I'll see all of you tomorrow morning."

The three genin nodded, and headed off the training ground in a group, talking amongst each other.

Once they were gone, Naruto turned towards Kurenai again. "Um, Kurenai-sensei?" he waited for her attention before going on. "I was wondering...since Kakashi can't train me, and you're busy with team 8 for now..."

Kureani nodded, a smile playing on her face, but on the inside she was silently fuming about Kakashi's behavior. She would be having words with him—and the Hokage, about this.

"Aren't you forgetting someone important?" she asked

"Someone...important? Like who?"

Naruto jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Like me!"

The hand pulled on his shoulder, forcing him to turn around to see Anko, skin tight mesh clothing and trench coat, smirking. She bent down and licked her lips seductively, giving him a full view. "You didn't forget about _little old me_ so soon, did you, _Na, ru, kun?_"

While he stuttered, she pulled him into her, capturing his lips with her own. Her hands held him closer, and he could feel her breasts against his chest, and her legs straddling him. He was lost in his own little word for a moment, just enjoying Anko...her taste...her smell...and the feelings she gave him, when suddenly a sharp cough woke him up from it all.

"What do you think you're doing, Anko!" Kurenai yelled.

Anko looked up at her over Naruto's shoulder. "Oh? Was I doing something wrong, Kure-chan?" she asked innocently.

"He's too young! We've talked about this already!"

"I think he's old enough. He certainly thinks he's ready too," she said, pointing to the bulge in his pants, formed by his not so modest erection, much to his embarrassment.

Kurenai frowned and crossed her arms. "Stop it Anko. I won't change my stance on this, and I don't think embarrassing him like that is helping anything."

Anko smirked. "Well, who said I meant to embarrass? I'm flattered Naru-kun is _so_ _ready_ for..." she let out a quiet moan for his ears. "me. Mmm...so quickly too."

"Alright, that's enough," said Kurenai, pulling Naruto away from Anko. "I swear you're not going to help anything by teasing him like this."

"Well right now you're just taking him for yourself," Anko laughed. She looked at Naruto. "Naru-kun...why don't you kiss Kure-chan too?"

He turned to the red eyed jounin next to him, who looked right back, her eyes clearly telling him "don't even think about it."

That was enough of a warning for him, and as much as he secretly wanted too, he started to make the excuse for himself to Anko. "um, I don't really think—"

"Think what? Don't you think she's pretty enough?" said Anko.

Kurenai let out an almost Kiba like growl and started walking away. "that's _enough _Anko. He doesn't need to be teased. You and I need to talk. Now."

Anko seemed to get the point, and fell silent, although her smirk remained. She followed Kurenai and fell into step with her, while Naruto lagged behind, somewhat out of earshot.

It would be later in life that Naruto would look back at this moment, and realize that this single moment of teasing from Anko, turned out to be the most life-changing event in his life. No, when he said that, he wasn't referring to eventually losing his virginity. Instead, Naruto found something he had been lacking his entire life. A father figure, and a new sensei—someone he would later refer to as master… or Ero-sennin to be more precise.

Kurenai and Anko's walk had ended up at an onsen, which, when they reached it, Kurenai had turned around and gave him some money to buy himself some lunch while he waited for them, saying she was going to talk to Anko. Naruto nodded and hurried off to Ichiraku's eating a healthy, or not so healthy, probably fatal, dosage of ramen. When he went back to the onsen, the two women were still in there. So he decided to go into the men's half while he waited, figuring he might as well treat himself to a little relaxation in this month of training.

That was when he met him. A perverse giggle interrupted his relaxing, and he cracked open an eye to see an older man hunched over a book, peering through the fence separating the men's section from the women's.

He sat up angrily. "What do you think you're doing, you pervert!"

The man turned to peer at Naruto. "Mind your own business kid."

Not about to be put off, Naruto strode forward and tried to pull the man around to face him, but was thrown backwards easily by the older man.

"What the hell? Who do you think you are?"

"The great toad sage from Mt Moyabugama! The legendary sannin, Jiraiya!" The man did a weird dance and settled in a dramatic pose as he waited for Naruto's reaction.

"Not quite what I was expecting..." muttered Naruto.

"Not quite the reaction I wanted," muttered Jiraiya.

"Either way, stop peeping, you old pervert!"

"And if I don't?"

"Then I'll have to force you to! Kage-bunshin no jutsu!"

What began was probably the worst defeat Naruto ever had. It couldn't even be called a fight actually, and it ended up with Naruto being dunked into the hot spring by a toad, while Jiraiya resumed his peeping.

The toad pulled Naruto out of the spring for a moment to allow him to catch his breath, and Jiraiya, not taking his eyes away from the hole he was peering through, told him, "You truly need to train more. You impressed me with some of your jutsu, but that didn't amount to much..."

Naruto angrily coughed out a, "that's what I've been trying to do, you old perv!"

"Oh? You were training? It looked like you were relaxing in the hot springs to me."

Naruto groaned. This man was impossible to deal with. "I obviously wasn't training then, but I have to get stronger for the chuunin exams. I'm fighting a mist nin in the finals."

"Hmm... a mist nin eh? I haven't run into a decent one of them in a while."

Naruto's eyes widened and a slew of questions started. "You've fought mist ninja before? Can you give me some tips? You're strong right? Can you train me?"

Jiraiya chuckled, glad to be getting the attention. "Well of course, I would love to..." he turned towards the boy, grinning. "Not train you."

"whaaaat" yelled Naruto. "Why the buildup, jerk! Why not train me?"

"Because I don't want to, brat. I don't have time for someone like you. That, and you're a guy." Jiraiya sighed. "And there goes my inspiration too." He got up, packed his things, and began to leave.

The toad holding Naruto dropped Naruto unceremoniously into the water before dispelling. Naruto got up, dried off, and followed him out after getting dressed.

When he got out of the building, Jiraiya was nowhere to be seen. Naruto huffed and leaned against the wall, deciding to wait for Kurenai and Anko. Five minutes later, they had both left the onsen, and seeing Naruto, headed over to him.

Kurenai looked at him sympathetically. "Sorry, Naruto-kun. But it seems like you're out of luck. Neither of us can help you out for the finals."

"Why not?"

"Well, as you know, I'm training team 8. I won't be able to dedicate much time for you."

He turned to Anko, who for once, wasn't smirking. "I'm sorry too. The Hokage gave me a bit of a long term mission, and I've already accepted. I have someone in mind that might be willing to help you out a little though."

Naruto smiled. "Thanks Anko-chan. Who is he?"

"That's a surprise." Anko winked and turned around and waved, walking in the other direction.

Kurenai gave him a quick hug before also turning to leave with Anko.

Naruto sighed. Well, hopefully Anko did find someone. If not...there was always that old pervert. With some newfound determination, Naruto set out to find the man. The only problem was he had no idea where to start.

He'd been searching for a while, and had even checked the onsen all over again, only to not even find a trace of the man. He was about to give up and was on his way to Ichiraku's for dinner, when suddenly, the man was right next to him. He jumped in surprise.

"What the hell? I've been looking all over for you, and once I stop looking, you actually show up!"

Jiraiya smirked, and a weird gleam got into his eye as he puffed out his chest. "That is because I am the Great Jirai—"

"Shut up old pervert. What do you want? Shouldn't I be the one trying to talk to you, not the other way around?"

Jiraiya's mock weeping at having been cut off before suddenly stopped, and the man grabbed both of Naruto's hands. "My boy, you are the genius I've been looking for! I've never seen such talent!"

"Wait..what? Really?"

"Of course!" said Jiryai. "I want—no, need you to train me!"

Naruto blinked. And blinked again. "Me? Train...you?" At Jiraiya's nod, he suddenly got angry. "Are you off your rocker, old man? I wanted you to train _me_!"

"But I can't get women like that! I need to learn! Please teach me! It's for research for my book!" Jiraiya pulled out a copy of Icha Icha paradise and showed it to Naruto, and the boy had a sudden image of Kakashi holding the book.

"Hey...that's Kakashi's book!"

"Oh? You've heard of it? It is getting pretty famous..." muttered Jiraiya. "So, what do you say? Will you show me how it's done?"

"Um..no. I don't help perverts, and secondly, I'm not even sure what you're talking about, I wouldn't be able to teach you anything."

Jiraiya's face fell, and he began to sniffle. "But those are two beautiful women! They don't just randomly hang out with 13 year olds! I saw how they immediately flocked to you when they left the onsen! And I know for_ sure _you're not on the red eyed jounin's genin team." Jiraiya started poking his fingers together while drooling...probably thinking of all the times he'd stalked to two jounin.

"Enough you old idiot! Stop thinking pervy things and train me to be a ninja!"

Suddenly, Jiraiya's face lit up. "Wait...Oh yeah!" he snapped his fingers, thinking..._'hmm...if I stay with this brat, and the two girls always show up around him… maybe I can..' _thoughts of Kurenai and Anko in bathing suits, splashing water towards each other flooded his head, and he started drooling. Suddenly, he turned towards Naruto with a smile. "It's a deal, kid. I'll train you. Meet me near this ramen stand tomorrow."

Naruto nodded. "Thanks Ero-sennin!" He waved and started to head home, but stopped when Jiraiya called him again.

"Hey, kid. What's your name?"

"Uzumaki Naruto!"

"Ah. Nice to meet you." said Jiraiya. He waved, "see you tomorrow." and jumped off, leaving Naruto to head back to his apartment.

_'Uzumaki Naruto, eh? Well Minato...let's see how your son has turned out over the years.'_

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

Hours Kiba wiped some blood from his nose, snarling. Naruto had just beaten him earlier in the spar back at training ground 8. Besides him were Shino and Hinata, the latter of the two looking at him worriedly.

"I can't believe he knows that jutsu!' he said. "I only know my mom knows it, and she refuses to use it for some reason."

"What does it do?" asked Shino.

"It's basically a much stronger form of my technique that increases my speed and strength...but a lot more."

Shino nodded. He had figured as much, anyway. "I doubt it's an easy technique to pull off."

Kiba snorted, and instantly regretted it when more blood flooded his mouth. He spat it out, ignoring the disgusted look he got from a civilian nearby. "That's the thing. My mom's always told me it took way too much chakra to use, but Naruto just got right up afterwards like it was nothing. Not to mention that it's a forbidden technique."

"Hm. So Uzumaki knows two forbidden techniques then. Interesting. I wonder how he learned them? From how I've heard Kurenai-sensei talk about Kakashi, I doubt he taught them to Naruto."

"Whatever. I don't care how he learned them. I just know I have to tell my mom that he has one of our clan's techniques, plus I need to tell him that he's just hurting himself."

"Naruto-kun..."

Kiba glanced at Hinata, seeing how worried she was. All for that blonde idiot. He put his hand on her should, almost pulling it away when he realized there was blood on it, and some of it had already gotten onto her jacket now.

"Hinata, don't worry. Naruto's fine, you saw him when we were leaving. You should be more worried about your own health. You did only just get out of the hospital, after all."

Hinata nodded, and turned to give Kiba a weak smile. He smiled back and gently pulled her to him. "Alright. How about we all go get something to eat? I know I'm hungry!"

Kiba hurried off without Shino and Hinata, expecting them to follow. Shino pushed his glasses up and glanced at Hinata, giving her a rare smile, which she readily returned.

"He's a little too much like Naruto, I think."

Hinata shook her head. "No, Shino-kun. Kiba's nothing like Naruto."

"Either way, let's catch up to him."

Hinata nodded, and they hurried around the corner, only to run into some unwelcome faces.

Team Gai was standing right there, Kiba already being held by Neji. They stood there for a moment, shock on their faces, when Tenten's eyes found them and she gave a start. This wasn't going to be good.

"Oh, well look at this," said Neji. "It's _Hinata-sama's_ team." He spat out. "So kind of you to grace us with your presence."

Shino took a step forward, partially blocking Hinata from view. "Please let go of our team mate."

Neji's eyebrows rose. "Tch. Why would I listen to any of you failures? If I remember correctly, none of you made it to the finals. And Hinata-_sama_ was so _confident_ that her team had trained enough. I guess that was proven wrong then she had to resort to something so despicable just to get to the preliminaries."

Kiba began swearing in Neji's hold. "You bastard! We're ninja! You should be expecting something like that!"

Neji's eyes glanced toward the Inuzuka. "Your noisy, dobe."

Kiba got out of his grasp and charged at Neji. I'll kick your ass, you bastard!"

Neji turned and swiftly immobilized Kiba with several jyuuken strikes. He looked down imperiously at Kiba. "Pathetic. It is fate that the strong with always beat the weak. Learn your place, mutt."

Hinata, who had been watching, screamed out, "No! Don't hurt my team mate!"

Shino stepped in front of her again, blocking her from Neji, and an angry Tenten. "Please allow me to handle this, Hinata." He turned towards Lee. "Lee-san."

The bushy eyebrowed kid, who had been silent up until now, looked towards Lee. "Hai?"  
"You don't appear to share the same sentiments as your team mates."

"Of course not! It is most unyouthful!"

Shino quirked an eyebrow at Lee's choice of words, but otherwise remained silent. "Then can you please carry my team mate to the hospital while I speak with your team mates?"

"Hai! Of course, Aburame-san!" Lee picked up a protesting Kiba, and carried him back to the hospital, while Shino turned back to the rest of Gai's team.

"Hyuuga Neji. Although I am not participating in the finals, I sincerely hope that, in the words of a certain blonde haired acquaintance of mine, you get your ass handed to you."

Neji bristled in anger, while Shino turned and took Hinata's hand to lead her away, ignoring the Hyuuga's indignant shouts behind them.

Shino noticed Hinata smiling widely for once out of the corner of his eye while they were walking. "Something funny?" he asked.

She turned towards him, giving a small giggle. "You spoke like Naruto-kun, Shino-kun."

He smirked, but it was hidden by his high collar. "So I did. Let me escort you home, Hinata."

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

The weeks passed by quickly, and Naruto ended up learning a lot from his new sensei. It hadn't been easy, but he had mastered several techniques. Some of these were pretty powerful, including an earth technique that builds up a wall around him to protect from attacks, as well as two techniques that allowed him to bury underground, and suddenly pop up to attack the person.

Jiraiya also managed to teach Naruto several wind jutsu, included Daitoppa (great breakthrough), which basically created a huge gust of wind to blast away projectiles. He also taught Fuuton Atsugai (pressure damage), which used wind to attack the enemy through sheer constant pressure. (hidan uses it in the manga). Jiraiya also helped him master Kaza no Yaiba, and now the blades of wind were actually blades rather than a rough blast of wind.

Finally, Jiraiya had taught him summoning, and in the process helped Naruto figure out how to pull out the Kyuubi's chakra at will. This had been through the...exciting...experience of plummeting off of a cliff. By the end of the month though, Naruto's jutsu proficiency had shot through the roof, and the genin was confident that he'd be able to handle anything the mist ninja threw at him.

He had also mastered the art of peeping...although unwillingly.

"There! Ohohoho! Inspiration!" jiraiya pointed over into the onsen from the tree he was perched in. "Icha icha paradise: Wet and wild onsen girls! It'll be a best seller!"

"Ero-sennin...help me out a little. I need you to supervise my training!"

"Come up here Naruto. You need to see this."

Naruto was about to protest, but was silenced by Jiraiya's glare. He grumbled and climbed up into the tree, and ended up watching the girls in the hotspring.

"This is wrong on so many levels." muttered Naruto.

"Shh! Look how many women there are! Oh! Look at the brunette at the far end!"

"Can we get back to my training now?"

"In a minute Naruto. Oh yeah...look, they're going to rub oil on each other! Yes!" Jiraiya started scribbling furiously into his book. "Oh, Yes!" But then, Naruto noticed the look of anguish pass over his face when the girls stopped. "Oh no! no! no! Damn it." Jiraiya threw his book down in frustration. "So close, too!" He turned to look at his student, who was glaring at him, when suddenly had had an idea.

"ah, Naruto. I'll help your training. But first, I need you to do a favor for me. Will you do it?"

"What's the favor?" He could tell by the perverted grin on Jiraiya's face—it was nothing he wanted to do.

"Just agree to do it. Don't ask questions."

"but—"

"No buts! Unless it's their butts! Now, do me this favor, or I won't continue your training."

"Eh...?"

"Do you want to learn this jutsu or not?" Jiraiya held out his hand, and performed the rasengan.

"Fine. What do I have to do?"

"Do your oiroke no jutsu, but have clothes on."

Naruto complied, and Jiraiya got down to whisper into Naruto's disbelieving ears. "Whaaaaat!"

"Shh! Keep your voice down...now go do it."

Naruto groaned, but did as he told. Jiraiya hopped back into the tree and pull out his book, and moments later, Naruto appeared in the women's hot springs, offering to rub oil onto various women, and give massages. After several visits like this, Naruto's Oiroke no jutsu appearance quickly became a hit at the onsen for wonderful massages, and even hinting that there might be a pervert present didn't dissuade them from having the massage. Years later, Jiraiya's next book would end up being the bestselling book of the decade.

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

The day of the finals had arrived, and Naruto found himself down in the bottom of the stadium in front of a huge number of cheering people—other ninja, civilians, and politicians. Next to him, all of the other participants stood at attention.

In front of them, a new examiner, Genma, paced back and forth in front of them. He held up his hand, for the crowd to be quiet, and waited until he was sure his voice could be heard clearly before he began to speak; using a jutsu to amplify his voice.

"Ladies and Gentlemen. Welcome to this years biannual Chuunin Exams!" several loud cheers rose from the crowd, and quieted down again before Genman continued.

"Today we have an interesting bunch of genin, with Uchiha Sasuke," a quiet roar rose at his name, "Uzumaki Naruto, Nara Shikamaru, Hyuuga Neji, Tenten, and Rock Lee, all representing Konoha. After that, we have Sabaku Temari, and her younger siblings, Kankuro and Gaara, representing Suna." Genma turned towards the two remaining genin. "And finally, we have Kin, representing Oto, and Yuuki, representing Kiri."

Up in the stands, the Kazekage leaned over to the Hokage, and the two began to talk in quiet whispers. Idly, Naruto wondered what they might be speaking about, before he decided that, since they're both old men, they're probably both perverts and were talking about Ero-sennin's book. Genma's voice rose over his thoughts, snapping him back to attention.

"...and because he has a BYE for this first round, Sabaku no Kankuro will instead be matched up against the winners of this match between Kiri no Yuuki and Uzumaki Naruto. Now, will all of the other genin please wait in their booth while this match takes place?"

As the other genin filed out, Naruto squared off against the Mist kunoichi, half of her face hidden behind the mask. He still couldn't shake the feeling of deja vu when Genma finally lowered his hands. "Hajime!"

Immediately, the mist ninja used the Kirigakure no jutsu, filling a large portion of the stadium in mist. Naruto found himself floundering in the mist as he dodged invisible blows and thrown senbon, knowing what to do solely through the killer instinct he felt.

Naruto dodged several senbon and erected a wall of earth to protect from any attack from behind. He hastily pulled out a few senbon that had lodged themselves into his arm, and made several Kage Bunshin. All of them were quickly wiped out though, and the only help he got from their memories was that his enemy was fast—really fast.

A solitary voice floated out from the fog. "I did not think that I would end up fighting you when I entered these exams, Naruto-kun."

That voice was familiar somehow, and it piqued Naruto's interest. He erected another earth wall and buried a few Kage bunshin into the ground before speaking up himself.

"You know me?" asked Naruto. "Who are you?"

"You have known me for quite a while, Naruto-kun."

Naruto dodged several more senbon, and he grew frustration, quickly using Great breakthrough to blast a large swath of the mist away from him. The mist kunoichi landed in front of him, staring into his eyes.

"Who are you?" he asked again.

"How can you not remember me? Does changing my hair color and hiding half of my face truly confuse you?"

At Naruto's confused face, she sighed, and slowly lowered her mask. Naruto's eyes widened in recognition.

"You! But I thought—I saw you..." he trailed off lamely as the girl gave a small smile.

"Hello, Naruto-kun. Tell me, have you found anyone special to protect?"  
"Haku..." he breathed, not believing his eyes.

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

**End of CHAPTER 11**

Oh! Haku makes her comeback! How does she play into all of this? Um...next chapter coming up soon. Enjoy! R&R, and also I'm considering making an aim account for people to contact if they want...that a good idea or no?


	12. Final exams, Kakashi's mistake

Disclaimer– "He's so filled with EPIC WIN." - Fehize, one of my readers, referring to our favorite perv.(Fehize gets this honor for a review that made me laugh)

The Maelstrom of Konoha **-1.12**

**The Tale of a Young Boy's Ascent into the Legends**

_This past chapter saw a surge in interest and reviews, so I would like to thank everyone who has been reading my story, and especially those who gave me their reviews. I actually took the time to respond to a lot of you, since it meant so much. It's great to know that people are appreciating the story. Enjoy the story!- Cantor_

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

Ino stood on her toes and peered over Chouj's shoulder, searching through the bustling crowd for her target in the seats below. Seeing none, she lightly pushed Chouji forward. "Not here. Keep looking."

Around them were other spectators gathered for the Chuunin Exam finals, walking along the large aisles behind the sections of seats, either looking for their own seats, or off to buy food. Ino fell into step behind Chouji, grateful for the large wake he left as he split the crowd, which he seemed to do with ease with his wide girth, and the ferocious gleam he got in his eyes while he attacked the chips in his bag. People in the crowd would see him coming their way, catch the look in his eyes, and quickly move out of the way, lest they be snatched up and eaten along with the chips. She smiled at the idea of one of the people being grabbed by Chouji's ham sized fists and eaten like a gummybear.

Ino smiled to herself. Sometimes Chouji had his uses. Not that she used him. No, Chouji was slowly becoming a valued friend, and a reliable team mate. Far more than that lazy bastard Shikamaru. How he managed to get to the finals of the chuunin exams, she would never know.

Finally, she spotted a head of pink hair sitting a few rows down in a nearby section. She tapped Chouji on the shoulder, and pointed in Sakura's direction rather than yelling, since the din from all of the people gathered made it too hard to speak over. She didn't really feel like losing her voice.

Together they headed out of the bustle of the people walking around and found themselves sitting down next to their fellow genin that hadn't made it into the finals. Along with Sakura, all of team 8 had gathered, as well as Ino and Chouji. Sakura moved aside for the two of them and they took their seats gratefully. Ino for one was tired of walking around the stadium constantly. Not physically tired, more like frustrated tired. She never could understand all the signs in this stadium! If someone had told her to find section 64, row 11, seat 4, she would never be able to do it. She put those thoughts aside however when Sakura spoke up.

"I can hardly believe Shikamaru made it to the finals," she said. "He never really seemed too motivated."

Chouji, who was munching on his chips, managed to grumble out, "He might like to relax, but Shikamaru is the smartest person I know. He can think his way through fights really well."

Ino frowned. "He's lazier than anyone I've ever met before. Still, Chouji's right. He's smart, and I can see him using that to get into the finals. But Naruto? He's improved a lot from our academy days."

Sakura laughed. "That baka! He hasn't improved much. He gets through with pure luck, and with Sasuke-kun's help. I'm honestly surprised he got through."

Ino turned to look at Sakura, a little incredulously. She had seen Naruto's match against Shino, and it wasn't luck. The jutsu he was using had to be pretty difficult, and he even won a battle of attrition, against an Aburame, whose style pretty much had a huge advantage in those types of fights.

Behind them, Shino gave a polite cough before speaking. "Naruto didn't beat me with pure luck, Sakura-san. I myself was surprised at the outcome of our fight, but I am forced to admit that Uzumaki has improved."

Sakura huffed. "Well, I suppose." she pouted for a moment before brightening up. "I can't wait to see Sasuke-kun fight!"

Ino watched the girl get starry eyed thinking of her crush. "Well, I suppose." she echoed Sakura's words from before. "But Sasuke-kun isn't going to be the only good fight today! All of these genin are pretty strong."

Behind them Kiba laughed loudly. "Hah! That Temari bitch got lucky. I just underestimated her. Otherwise, I'd be down there too."

Ino and Sakura rolled their eyes, while Shino made a small indignant noise. Kiba turned towards him, obviously being able to hear it with his ears.

"You want to say something, bug boy?"

The other genin, like little children at a schoolyard fight, all turned to look at the spectacle. Shino sat there, half his face hidden by his collar, and his eyes covered by his sunglasses, but even still, they could all tell that he was angry.

"You are brash, and impudent, Kiba. It astounds me that you do not realize this yourself. You say you could have beaten Temari, but in this past month, how many times did you challenge to Naruto and lose to him?"

Kiba snarled angrily. "That's different, asshole! Those are spars, and neither of us are fighting seriously!"

Shino looked like he was about to respond, but Hinata, who was sitting between him and Kiba, stood up suddenly. "Please stop arguing."

Shino sat back in his chair, apparently letting the issue rest, while Kiba snorted. "Once bug boy over there stops acting like some bugs have crawled up his ass. Oh, never mind. He likes it that way."

Shino leaned forward angrily, and Hinata even turned towards Kiba with a furious look. Evidently he had overstepped his limits a little this time. Luckily, Ino and Sakura quickly stepped in, trying to diffuse the situation.

"Oh look! Some of the mist got cleared away by Naruto!"

The other genin turned to look real quickly, wanting to see how their comrade was fairing in his match. Naruto looked a little tired, and there were senbon littered all over on the ground. They watched as he dodged another wave of needles and threw kunai back towards where the senbon were coming from.

"He doesn't seem to be doing so well," Chouji commented around his chips.

"He's doing better than I did," said Ino. "Maybe he'll come up with something."

They watched in silence as the mist filled in the gap again and they lost sight of Naruto. "So if Naruto wins this fight, he has to fight that sand nin?" Sakura asked.

Chouji grunted, pulling out the sheet with the matchups, and everyone crowded around to look at them. Kiba, who seemed to have calmed down, spoke up. "So, any bets on whose going to beat who?"  
"Hm, even though I don't want to admit it, I think the mist nin will beat Naruto." said Ino, and she turned to see Kiba and Sakura nodding in agreement. Shino, Hinata, and Choujiall seemed to still have faith in the blonde though.

"It looks like something is going on right now," said Shino."

They all turned to see the mist fading in the arena below.

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

Naruto jumped to the side again, narrowly avoiding a barrage of senbon. He couldn't think properly right now. Haku? She was alive? How? tons of unanswered questions flew through his head, and fighting was becoming a lot harder to concentrate on.

The girls voiced echoed from the mist. "Naruto-kun, I know you are stronger than this. Please fight me seriously."

He panted, searching desperately for the girl. "Haku..." so many questions, but he had no idea where to start..."how?"

"How did I survive?" she clarified.

"Yes! I saw you! You fell off the bridge as you were dying!"

There was silence for a moment, and Naruto took the time to barricade himself again with a few doton jutsu.

"As I was falling...all I could think of was Zabuza-sama, and how the one man who mattered to me was taken away. For a moment, all I wanted to do was to let death take me...but I was scared of death. I didn't want to die. So I used the last of my chakra to break the fall into the water, but only barely. I survived, but I was terribly injured. I remember drifting for a long time, fading in and out of consciousness, when I finally washed up on the shore. I was too weak to move, but then a man came and found me. He asked for my story, and afterwards, he offered me a purpose, like Zabuza did. I had someone to look up to then. He is my new master."

Naruto nodded before creating another large gust of wind spread around him, blasting the mist away again. "But who is he? And what's your new purpose?"

Haku's voice came from right behind him, moments before he felt the pain of several senbon stabbing into him. "I cannot tell you that yet, Naruto-kun."

Naruto nodded, putting his other questions aside for a moment, while instead he thought of his current situation. Almost every time he tried to get rid of the mist, Haku would quickly replace it, making it difficult for him to find her. He couldn't stay in one spot for too long, or Haku could use her demonic ice mirrors and surround him. The only way he was positive he could get out of that was with Kyuubi's chakra. Jiraiya had helped him figure out how to use it, but he didn't want to pull out his trump card yet. That and most people in the stadium probably wouldn't appreciate it. He had a plan though. He remembered Haku having something hidden beneath her robes, a sword or a staff, which he'd seen just before the preliminaries started. He'd have to get her to use that to get close—then he could get a hold of her and handle it with Kaze no Yaiba. After all, even if she had a sword, she wouldn't be able to block his blade of wind.

He used the barrier he'd built with the doton jutsu to create several Kage bunshin and have them burrow into the ground without Haku seeing. Then he burrowed into the ground himself, and let the doton jutsu crumble, making it seem to Haku as though he'd disappeared. The nice thing with the doton jutsu he was using to burrow—the Shinju Zanshu no jutsu, was that it allowed him to kind of see, or feel, when his opponent landing on the ground, so he could immediately land there, and grab hold of his legs. He instructed all of his Kage bunshin to spread out, so that wherever Haku landed, he would have Kage bunshin ready.

Everything went exactly as he'd planned. Haku, once she saw he wasn't behind the doton barrier, or anywhere else in the mist for that matter, figured he must either be using a camouflaging technique, have cast a genjutsu on her, or burrowed underground. She knew it wasn't a genjutsu, that left the remaining two. She tsked in frustration. The mist was useless at the moment if he had willingly taken his eyes as well. She knew from her earlier experiences with Naruto that he had a large chakra capacity—so simply waiting for him to run out of chakra would be useless. The only thing left to do was to lure him out. She let the mist fade away, and reached beneath her robes and drew her weapon—and long collapsible Bo staff. It was simple in design. She had learned from Zabuza-sama that a weapon was simply a tool, which only had one purpose. To kill. Tools didn't have any need for decorations. She snapped it outwards and landed on the ground, waiting for Naruto to challenge her.

He smirked in victory when he felt the odd sensation of pressure, signifying that Haku had landed in that spot. It was like a large white spot had appeared in a field of black, and he made a beeline for it with his nearest Kage bunshin. It reached up to grasp her legs, but his eyes widened when he felt a long staff plunge into the dirt and impale his head.

She jumped quickly. She knew the moment her staff had plunged into its head that it was a Kage Bunshin. The popping sound was all she needed. She landed farther away and watched carefully for Naruto, quickly stabbing into the dirt again when she felt the earth begin to move. She jumped away again, still watching for any sign of Naruto.

She was jumping farther away, he realized that, but she was too caught up in watching for him that she didn't realize she was slowly losing room between her and the wall. He fanned out his Kage bunshin in the ground so that she would slowly pin her against the wall. Another one reached for her and he felt it disappear. She was getting a little frantic. She had stabbed the earth and missed the Kage bunshin, and barely managed to pull the staff from the ground to stab the Kage Bunshin again. Naruto grinned when one of the ideas of the Kage Bunshin came to his head. He sent out another Kage Bunshin, along with a teammate, while he rose from the ground.

Haku's eyes met his as he rose from the ground slowly, in an almost Orochimaru like way. He smirked, and while Haku was busy looking at him, she almost didn't notice the Kage bunshin begin to reach for her legs. She quickly stabbed down at it, making it dispell in a puff of smoke, but when she tried to rip the staff out of the ground, she found that it was stuck. Naruto laughed.

"Well, it seems I've finally got you, Haku."

The staff was pulled from her grip, deeper into the ground, and the real Naruto made several hand seals. "Kaze no Yaiba!"

He charged forward at Haku, whose eyes widened as she frantically pulled on the staff to raise it from the ground—only to give up. It was useless anyway; she could not block a blade of wind. She jumped back, and landed directly on another Kage bunshin, which was ready for her and reached up to grab her legs. Haku couldn't move. She couldn't dodge or block a blade of wind, and it came as a shock to Naruto when she stood fast and looked at him determinedly, accepting her defeat. Naruto wasn't sure what to do. On the one hand, she was expecting him to simply stab her and get it over with. But still, he would be killing her, and that was an experience he had already lived through—or thought he had—and he didn't want to live through it again.

It came as a huge relief to him when Genma stepped in between the to, and kicked Naruto's legs out from underneath him, making him stumble and lose concentration, which in turn made the technique dispel.

Genma calmly waited for Naruto to stand straight before raising his hand. 'Winner, Uzumaki Naruto."

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

Up in their private booth, the Kazekage and Hokage sat watching the match unfold with interest. The odds which were used to placing bets had put Naruto as the clear underdog, but once again Naruto provided an upset. Behind them stood their guards, two for the Hokage and two for the Kazekage. It was more of a political gesture than anything—typically a village would have more guards around their leader, but in a gesture of good faith, both leaders typically met with fewer guards than normal.

The Kazekage, dressed in his traditional blue and white robes, sat back in his seat with a sigh. "That was unexpected. As I understood it, that Uzumaki boy wasn't exactly the best genin in Konoha. I thought the mist nin would be advancing."

The Hokage smirked around his pipe. He wasn't as nearly as surprised as the Kazekage was with the outcome of the fight. He placed a lot of faith in Naruto. "Well, Naruto has been dubbed the number one most surprising ninja in Konoha before," he chuckled. "He never ceases to surprise."

The Kazekage's eyebrow quirked with interest. "Hm? I'm surprised your old age can handle surprises, Hokage-sama." The Kazekage joked.

The Hokage puffed his pipe and smiled. "Well, old age catches up to all of us, even you someday Kazekage-sama." He turned away, looking back at the match, and muttered, "And I will make sure to send you a sympathy card when I hear old age is doing so."

The Kazekage smirked slyly, before turning back to the arena grounds as well, where Naruto and Haku were leaving to head to the participants booth. The blond was desperately trying to talk to the mist nin, only to be brushed off with curt responses.

"Well, I wonder what other surprises await us today then," the Kazekage pretended to think aloud, looking at the Hokage out of the corner of his eye.

"Oh?" The Hokage asked. "You sound as if you have a secret you desperately want to share."

"I want to share it," laughed the Kazekage. "But it wouldn't be a secret then, would it? Or a surprise, for that matter."

"Hm. Well, as you so kindly pointed out before, I'm a little old for surprises."

The Kazekage laughed, taking a sip from his drink. "You mentioned that this Uzumaki boy is full of surprises," He looked to the Hokage, seeing him nod. "Let's just say that my Gaara will be an even bigger surprise; for everyone in Konoha today."

"I can hardly wait to see his match then." murmured the Hokage. "I believe he's fighting against the Hyuuga clan's prodigy."

"Yes. It will definitely be a sight to see. Although I should mention that Gaara has been in a violent mood lately."

The Hokage's eyebrows rose. "You think there might be an accident?"

"I should hope not. The sand would never do _intentional_ harm to her allies."

The Hokage grunted. "Speaking of which, ANBU has recently reported to me the death of the previous examiner. It seems he was killed with a blade of wind."

"A Suna technique." the Kazekage stated. "I will be looking into it, Hokage-sama."

"See that you do."

"Though," the Kazekage paused thoughtfully. "It should be noted that the Uzumaki boy that just fought was able to use it. Perhaps it could just as easily be someone from Konoha."

The Hokage merely grunted in response.

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

"Next match," Genma stood between two genin. "Nara Shikamaru, up against Sabaku no Temari. Hajime!"

Temari turned and immediately jumped away from Shikamaru, while his shadow shot out to grab her. Her eyes narrowed. Up until now, she had no idea what technique he used—his preliminary match had been surrounded in mist. But he had already given away what little advantage he had in keeping his techniques a secret.

"You're not very smart, are you?" she taunted.

He raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything, instead he simply pulled his shadow back from where it had been quivering by her feet. Temari drew a line in the dirt. She knew how far he could reach. Now, for her to launch her attack. She pulled back her fan and let out a huge gust of wind at the shadow user, forcing him to take cover in the trees.

"Come on out! You can't hide in there forever!" She let out another blast of wind, letting it cut at the trees and tear off the leaves. She would finish this quickly.

On his end, shikamaru was hiding behind a tree, quickly forming a plan. He had purposely let Temari know how far his shadow reached. He wanted her to think she knew where she was safe. He just had to hold out until the arena wall's shadow stretched as the sun moved on in the day. Soon his reach would be longer.

If that didn't work, well, he had a backup plan. He started to untie his hitaite.

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

Kurenai and Anko smirked as Naruto won his match. Anko threw her fist into the air. "Damn straight, Uzumaki!"

Asuma and Aoba simply stared at her, a little weirded out. "Um, why are you cheering for Naruto?" asked Aoba.

"Why not, dipshit?" responded Anko. "You guys should be cheering for him too; he is a Konoha-nin after all. Plus, he's cute."

Aoba's mouth worked silently for a while, before he could finally utter, "huh?"

"I said he's cute, are you retarded or something? Because I heard myself fine."

"N-No. Just a little surprised is all."

"Kure-chan thinks he's cute too!" Anko explained loudly. A little too loudly. Said jounin covered her face in her hands. She did not need half the stadium knowing this.

Luckily, or maybe not so luckily, Asuma misunderstood. "Yeah, I suppose anyone could see him like a little brother or something like that. He reached out and put his arm over Kurenai. A little too forward. '_Creepy_' she thought, shivering.

"Let's please drop this," she said, pushing Asuma's arm off of her. Hopefully he'd get it.

There was a silence for a while that stretch on between them, and it was finally broken when Aoba announced he'd go and get some snacks.

"Anyone want anything?" he asked.

Asuma turned and ranted off a long list of things, while Anko gave him a short list as well. Aoba nodded, ticking off his fingers as he tried to remember everything, and hurried off to the concession stands.

Down below, Genma announced Shikamaru's and Temari's match.

Kurenai watched with interest as Shikamaru's hid in the trees, using an unfamiliar hand seal. "What is he doing?" she asked no one in particular.

Asuma came up and put a hand on her shoulder, giving her a too friendly smile. "Shikamaru's definitely got a plan right now. You see the position his hands are in? I've seen him do that too many times to count when we're playing shogi, and I've come to recognize it as a sign of my defeat. Every time he does it, afterwards he's planned out every possible move I can make. Shikamaru is a genius tactician"

Anko, who was sitting Next to Kurenai, snorted. "Doesn't matter. He could be smart, but he still needs to have some strength to follow through with his plans."

Asuma shook his head, putting out his cigarette for once. "Yes, but Shikamaru did actually train a bit for these exams. He'll have enough to pull through. Although I'll admit, he could use a bit more training."

Just then, down in the arena, Temari had to jump back to avoid the shadow, which had extended farther than her line.

"Smart for him to buy time so the sun extends his shadow," Aoba said, having just walked up to them from buying snacks at the concessions stand. He reached over Anko and handed Asuma a beer and some other snacks, while Kurenai eyed it in distaste.

Asuma noticed the look, and grinned. "What's wrong? Don't like the food here?"

"Not at all. I don't understand how men will eat garbage like that," she said.

"Oh come on, Kure-chan! It's delicious!" said Anko, stuffing her face with some of Aoba's food. Kurenai turned towards her in surprise.

"You too? Where's my female support? Hos before Bros, right?"

Asuma laughed. "Last time I checked it was Bros before Hos."

"Plus you just called yourself a Ho, Kure-chan." commented Anko.

Kurenai rolled her eyes, turning back to the match. Shikamaru had managed to catch Temari in his shadow, and was slowly walking towards her, forcing her to walk towards him as well. After a moment of silence, Shikamaru sighed and raised his hand.

"I give up," he said.

Behind her, Kurenai could hear Asuma choking on his food. Anko was laughing, while Aoba simply stared with a shocked look.

"Well that was unexpected."

They all turned to see Kakashi standing there with his book, Icha Icha Paradise.

Kurenai and Anko turned away; ignoring the jounin's presence, while Aoba and Asuma just grunted. They all knew of Kurenai's problem with Kakashi, and nobody wanted to get involved. Kakashi, for his part, chose that moment to bring it up.

"Kurenai, I understand—"

"No you don't, Kakashi. Do you remember the discussion we had during the team selections? Do you remember who I wanted on my team?"

Kakashi took his eyes off of the book to look up at her. "Naruto, if I remember correctly. However, I still stand by my—"

"Bullshit. You've just ignored him as much as possible for your precious Uchiha. Tell me, who did you spend the entire last month training?"

Kakashi blinked, then he frowned, "Don't criticize me for my training methods, Kurenai. For one, only I can train Sasuke with the sharingan. Secondly, Sasuke requires more attention. He has a difficult match and a much higher chance of succeeding as a Chuunin."

"So you think you should only train people who will succeed right off the bat? You'll just let your other two students suffer simply because the third has a chance?"

"That's right. It's my job to help them succeed as a ninja, and having them promoted is a part of that. I don't see what is wrong."

Kurenai turned away from him angrily. She couldn't stand the man! Asuma and Aoba simply looked back and forth between the two jounin, keeping the silence. Anko, on the other hand, pulled out a chip and muttered, loudly enough for everyone to hear, "Whatever happened to, 'Those who break the rules are trash, but those who abandon their nakama are worse than trash?"

The silence afterwards was deafening, and Kurenai shot Anko a grateful. Eventually Gai showed up, resuming his normal rivalry with Kakashi, saying that they would decide who won this round of their rivalry by whose student beat whose. Lee or Sasuke. The others all rolled their eyes, at the childishness, and turned their attentions back to the arena.

Tenten and Kin, a girl from sound, had just finished their match. It had been close, with Kin using a genjutsu to make Tenten's senses go completely haywire, but Tenten had managed to break through it, and after a very close, intense fight, the two girls ended up with a double knockout, Tenten collapsing just after Kin.

Genma strode forward and checked them both over. "Since the fight has ended in a double knockout, neither will be progressing into the next round. Next fight is between Uchiha Sasuke and Rock Lee."

"Oh, look, it's your prize pupil, Kakashi." Anko said snidely.

"Hahaha, Kakashi, let us see whose student has more power of youth!" said Gai, clapping the other man on the shoulder.

The man didn't say anything in response, though he did put his book away and sit to watch the match. Like him, all the other jounin turned to watch the match. A roar rose from the crowd. The Uchiha had just walked out with a smug look on his face.

The match began with much more energy behind it than the other fights. Rather than taking the time to watch each other, both examinees charged at the other, colliding with such force that the sound echoed in the stadium.

Sasuke had activated his Sharingan, and while they had both blocked each other's first blows, they stood there looking at each other, Sasuke with grim determination, and Lee with a gentle smile. Sasuke jumped back and immediately inhaled deeply.

"Gokakyu no jutsu!" the huge fireball shot out of his mouth towards Lee, who only had a second to dodge and charge at Sasuke again, only to be blocked.

"You've gotten a little faster," Lee commented.

Sasuke smirked. "You thought you'd still be faster than me? I remember you fighting me from before the first exam. I trained just for this." He disappeared from view and reappeared behind Lee, holding a kunai at his neck. "Do you see now? You cannot defeat and Uchiha."

Despite having a kunai at his neck, Lee smiled. "I will not allow myself to be defeated, Sasuke-kun. I must prove that I can defeat a genius with hard work!" He disappeared from view this time, and Sasuke's eyes widened as he realized that he couldn't keep up with Lee's speed. Lee reappeared behind him and kicked him hard, sending him flying into the ground.

"You are still not as fast as me," Lee said. "I will show you my power."

Sasuke pushed himself up from the ground, snarling as Lee waited patiently. He turned suddenly and threw several shuriken, all of which were dodged with ease. Sasuke jumped back, narrowly avoiding another kick, and formed a few seals.

"Katon: Hosenka no jutsu!" he shot out several smaller fireballs, adding shuriken to them, but was disappointed when Lee dodged them with ease again, and by the time Sasuke realized this, Lee's fist was already slamming into his stomach, sending him up into the air for a follow up kick.

Sasuke slammed into the ground, tumbling and barely able to keep his sense of direction. He got up, and saw Lee once again standing in a ready position.

"Please put up a better fight, Sasuke-kun" he said.

Sasuke growled in frustration and anger. How could he say that? As if he was not even putting up a challenge! Never mind that he had not landed a hit, when he did, he would make sure Lee understood that he could not challenge an Uchiha.

He jumped back again, pulling out his wire and Shuriken, which he threw at Lee. He knew the boy would dodge it. It was the same each time. But he wasn't hoping to get a hit this time. He pulled on the wire, making it so if Lee charged at him after dodging; he'd get trapped into the wires.

Lee saw this, and went backwards, closer to the wall. If he could get Lee closer to the wall, and close up the fighting area, Lee would have less room to use his speed. Corner Lee, and then use an area wide attack to take him down.

As he expected, Lee slowly began dodging the wires and heading to the wall, and was slowly getting tangled. Sasuke yanked on the wires to tighten them, and smirked when Lee nearly fell over against the wall. He used a few handseals, and inhaled deeply, "Katon: Ryuka no jutsu!" the stream of fire shot from his mouth and followed on the wires, shooting towards a now frantic Lee.

Still, Lee managed to surprise everyone, Charging towards the fire rather than trying to get away. By moving closer to Sasuke and the fire, he made the wire go slack, and it gave Lee just enough time to loosen the wires enough to jump up and avoid the fire.

Sasuke had to roll away to avoid the heel kick from Lee, and rise just in time to block a barrage of punches and kicks. He could slowly begin to tell where Lee was trying to hit, and he could predict it. With a growing sense of accomplishment, Sasuke realized his Sharingan had evolved. Still, his body was not as quick as Lee's, and another kick sent him into the wall, leaving a smaller crater.

Sasuke climbed out, coughing up a little bit of blood. He had yet to land a hit on Lee, and the crowd was showing its disapproval. Several boos could be heard. The last of the genius clan of Konoha was being beaten by a boy who used pure taijutsu. The plan wasn't working. He couldn't corner Lee, and every attack he'd led so far only made him take a beating. Instead, he'd lead Lee to him.

Sasuke jumped back and put himself up against the wall, motioning to Lee for him to come.

Lee raised an eyebrow, but didn't see the harm, and charged forward. While all the audience saw was a blur, Sasuke could see Lee clearly by now, his Sharingan having fully gotten used to Lee's speed, even beginning to copy Lee's movements.

Sasuke's plan was simple. Kakashi had taught him a powerful move this break, and had helped him adapt his muscles to a speed high enough to use it. It wasn't as fast as Lee, but it was still fast enough. The jutsu was called Chidori, and it created an electric current which would cut through anything if pushed with enough speed in a direct line. Sasuke realized he couldn't corner lee this way, but if he turned it around so Lee was providing the speed, Lee would essentially impale himself. Sasuke smirked triumphantly as he quickly made the hand seals and took a step into Lee's punch.

Lee shrieked in pain as his fist was torn apart by the Chidori, and Sasuke felt a sudden sickness as blood began to run down his arm, and he felt Lee's muscles convulsing in pain. His shirt began to seep crimson as Lee's blood spurted onto his arm and onto his shirt, soaking it sanguine. Sasuke felt a sudden urge to push his Chidori further, to end it and to leave no doubt that he had one. Still, he knew that such an action would take things too far.

But it was not over yet. Lee had been moving at a speed faster than he'd thought, and the energy of his blow had still transferred into Sasuke, even if Lee's hand had been cut by the Chidori, and Sasuke ended flying headfirst into the wall behind him, and an audible snap was heard while the audience groaned. Lee was left standing in the arena, clutching his hand and screaming in pain, while Sasuk's body convulsed at the base of the wall.

Genma immediately ran forward to take them both away, quickly announcing Lee as the winner. Kakashi and Gai also shunshined down into the arena and each carried their respective students to the medical wing. Gai looked livid.

The next match was between Hyuuga Neji and Sabaku no Gaara. They each stood staring at each other impassively for a good five minutes after the match had started, and Genma had to remind them that the match had started. Neji's Byakuugan was busily searching for any sign of emotion to use as an advantage, and was slightly frightened when Gaara didn't appear to have any—other than raw bloodlust. Still, he began to taunt Gaara, trying to provoke any reaction and break Gaara's stoicism.

Suddenly the cork from Gaara's sand shot out, and whizzed by Neji's head. Sand shortly followed. Nejo quickly brought up his first and began to block each tendril of sand that whipped near him. It soon became a battle of Neji against the sand, rather than against Gaara.

For each tendril that Neji struck down, a new one replaced it's spot, shaping into spears and trying to stab him, or blunt swaths to smack him aside.

Much to the sand spectator's horror, and eventually Konoha's horror—Gaaara's sand and the sand that was on the ground in the arena, rose up and snatched Neji, leaving him helpless. There was no better arena for Gaara than a sand filled arena. Nowhere was safe for Neji. Neji struggled to free his feet, but because he never carried any true tools—he never needed any other than his jyuuken—he found he was helpless. The sand surged upwards, carrying him with it, and raised him like an arm. It swung backward sharply, before jerkign forward and slamming him repeatedly into the wall.

Neji grunted in pain on the first blow, trying to ignore the pain and find a way out of his predicament. Finally, he used a heavenly spin to get out of the sand, but even when Gaara allowed him a chance to use the Trigram 64 palms, he didn't land a hit, and every blow was blocked by a rising wall of sand. Gaara barely even blinked from Neji's onslaught. When he had finished, Gaara turned his hand towards him, not even bothering to move his body.

"Are you done? I am getting bored"

Neji narrowed his eyes. "How dare you..." He tried to hit the sand boy again, only to be swatted away like a fly. He got up slowly, his eyes a little unfocused, and went at Gaara again—only this time he surprisingly did get a hit on Gaara. Rather than resorting to jyuuken, he ran up and used heavenly spin next to the sand nin, whose protective sand was blow away constantly by the chakra—like a drill had bore through it, and it pushed Gaara back, tearing at his arm.

Gaara looked down at the blood seeping out of his arm, and screamed. Loudly. That was when everything went to hell in Konoha.

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**End of CHAPTER 12**

Okay, so Haku's mystery wasn't revealed, but plenty of other important details out! Kakashi and The other Jounins? Even Gai! Next chapter: The Serpent Strikes! Invasion!

Special thanks to Ph34r n0 3V1L, for picking out some errors in the writing in the review. I fixed the ones he mentioned, if anyone else finds any, please let me know!


	13. Invasion! Tempting Sasuke

Disclaimer– "Before the problem of the creative writer, analysis must lay down it's arms." - Sigmund Freud

The Maelstrom of Konoha **-1.13**

**The Tale of a Young Boy's Ascent into the Legends**

_Thank you everyone for your reviews. I've tried responding to most reviews, but recently the number per chapter increased dramatically, and I already realized I've sent the wrong responses to different reviewers...so I've decided to just thank everyone here. As a side note, there will probably only be 1-2 or maybe 3 more chapters more of book 1. Then I'll have a short break and begin writing book 2 in March. Also, I want everyone to remind everyone once again that this plot is pre-planned out. So although I like reading the suggestions, none of them are actually considered. I have a planned plot to follow, trust me when I say it will be enjoyable to read. And finally, HAKU LOVERS-Be warned! You might not like her in this chapter, but i still encourage you to keep reading the story. - Cantor_

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For many years, this would be remembered as one of the largest full scale attacks on Konoha. Even during the great Shinobi Wars, Konoha rarely suffered an attack directly on their village, and never to such a scale. Normally the civilians could be escorted to safety, and the village shinobi were ready to defend. This time, neither of them was the case.

Sound and Sand shinobi tore through the streets of Konoha, laying waste to people and buildings, loud screams would rise up only to be drowned out and silenced later by different jutsu. Naruto closed his eyes briefly—he had imagined large battles before, but it had never been like this. The stadium had been covered in a large scale genjutsu, and as he moved out into the open, dazed by the destruction around him, he barely had time to dodge a kunai whizzing right by him, only to see it impale itself into a villager's chest with a dull thud a moment later.

He turned and narrowed his eyes, finding a sound nin grinning viciously. With a primal roar of fury, he pulled out a kunai and charged him blindly, and was swatted out of the way roughly. He looked up from the ground to see Genma looking at him in concern.

"Get a hold of yourself, idiot. I'll handle this guy. Get the genin together and help the academy students evacuate. The Chuunin instructors will be needed for the counter-attack."

Naruto stood in shock for a moment as Genma deftly blocked several shuriken and turned to swiftly slice a sand nin's throat open, the blood already spraying out and covering his face. He looked at Naruto, surprised his was still there.

"What the hell are you doing just sitting there? Are you a Konoha shinobi or not? Follow your orders!"

Naruto snapped out of his daze and nodded before leaving Genma to handle the sound nin from before. He wove in and out of the seats, jumping over injured and unconscious villagers, finding the other genin in the stadium. It was harder than he imagined—all of the fighting made it difficult to focus on the people and find certain individuals. It was Kiba and his team that actually ended up finding him first, along with Ino and Chouji.

"Naruto! I'm surprised you're awake, I half expected you to get caught by the genjutsu!"

Naruto smirked. "Of course not, dumbass. I'm a better ninja than you, remember?"

Kiba growled, but shut up as Ino smacked them both on the back of the head. "First of all, Naruto wasn't in the stadium before, he was in the medical ward. And secondly, now is NOT the time to be fighting! People are dying!"

Naruto's smirk faded at Ino's words, but he was still grateful for the sense of normalcy that the banter with Kiba had given him—it seemed to help clear his thoughts and almost make him calmer. He took a deep breath before getting everyone's attention.

"Genma said that he wanted us to all go help the academy evacuate. They need the chuunin teachers for the counter-attack they're planning."

Kiba snorted, but the others nodded. It was a better plan than any. The group quick set out of the stadium, narrowly avoiding various attacks sent their way, and at times even taking down enemy shinobi, a feat that many of them would be able to puff their chests out and over-exaggerate later, but at the moment, none of them took the time to feel pride. Right now, it was simply the mission. Or at least, that was how it was before Hinata stopped suddenly, her eyes wide.

Naruto turned to her with concern. "Hinata? What's wrong?" The rest of the genin paused for a moment, taking cover and trying to listen to Hinata.

She brought her fingers to her lips before barely whispering out, "Neji-nii-san...the sand boy is hurting him."

Naruto stood in silence for a moment. He didn't care for Neji, but he was a comrade. He nodded, before taking Hinata and shoving her towards Kiba, who gasped and caught her. He looked up at Naruto in confusion.

"I'm going to go get Neji. We'll catch up with you."

The others all opened their mouth to fight back, but surprisingly, Kiba, the boy who always disagreed with Naruto, held up his hand, silencing the others. "Alright. Catch up with us quickly dobe, or I'll have Akamara bite you where the sun don't shine."

Akamaru looked up at Kiba questioningly, while Kiba patted his head in pity. "I'd make it up to you, Akamaru. I'm so sorry."

Naruto huffed. He was the one getting bitten...but he jumped off without another word to find the Hyuuga prodigy.

He found him still at the center of the arena, which was surprisingly open, considering that fights were in the stands surrounding it. The only two figures in the entire arena were Gaara and Neji. One was trying to fend of constant attacks of sand with his heavenly spin, only to be swatted down eventually. Gaara didn't even seem to be paying much attention to the Hyuuga, instead he was clutching his head and talking to himself, all the while staring at his own blood as it ran down his arm and dripped into the sand below.

Naruto realized that the sand at the bottom of the arena was an issue. For a ninja that used sand, this was an ideal battle ground. The very ground itself was his weapon, and Neji was standing right in the middle of it, barely able to stand properly, and rapidly running out of chakra as he performed heavenly spin after heavenly spin.

Naruto landed just as the sand broke through the Hyuuga's defensive technique and smashed Neji brutally against the wall, holding him there. Neji coughed up blood, letting it run down his chin. Gaara raised his hand, prepared to crush Neji utterly.

Luckily, Naruto was able to get there in time, and just managed to pull Neji from the sand before it crushed itself brutally against the wall. Neji managed to cough out a barely audible, "stay out of it," before Naruto tossed him aside into a seat in the stands.

"Shut up and watch, _prodigy, _this is out of your league."

Gaara's crazed eyes met Naruto's, and a sickly smile appeared on his face. "Uzumaki Naruto..." He took a step in his direction. "Mother wants to taste you."

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Not too long before, Kakashi hurried Sasuke down the hall towards the medical ward. Gai had already left him behind, giving Kakashi a glare full of killer intent before wailing on about his student, Lee. Kakashi shook his head and looked down at his own student.

Sasuke's fit had stopped, but he was unconscious, and Kakashi was afraid to run too fast and jolt whatever injury the boy had. He heard a bone break, and he couldn't be where it was without jostling Sasuke.

He finally reached the medical ward, only to nearly run into Gai, who was just leaving and closing the door behind him. Gai glanced down at Sasuke, his normally smiling visage contorted into a uncharacteristic sneer, and then he glanced up at Kakashi. The one eyed jounin felt his blood run cold for a moment, facing the brunt force of Gai's anger and killer intent, all focused right on him.

Gai shoved Kakashi out of the way without a word and hurried back outside, to get back to the chuunin exams. Kakashi shifted Sasuke carefully so he could reach out and turn the nob on the door before walking into the room, nodding to the med nins. They prepared a flat bed with straps on it after hearing about the seizures, and quickly administered a sedative. Kakashi stood for a while by his student's side, fearing the worst. For such a prodigy to have his own career ruined, by someone who only used taijutsu, he glanced at Lee, who was being prepared for an ER room to hopefully ha his stump of an arm restored, before turning back to Sasuke.

A med nin came up to him and began to tell him that he had to leave to allow them to work on Sasuke—she even refused to tell Kakashi the full extent of the damage—when a loud boom shook the building, and screams quickly followed. Kakashi looked up, half expecting to see the ceiling come down, and realizing that there was something going horribly wrong at the exams when the red emergency lights turned on, Kakashi raced out of the medical ward.

He was racing down the hallways when he began to realize the chill in the air, and see ice growing on the walls, the floor, even the ceiling, and in front of him, the hallway had been completely sealed off by a large wall of ice. Kakashi turned around to see another wall of ice forming not too far down the hallway.

"Hello, Hatake-san." a cold voice echoed through the ice to him.

A kunoichi began forming from the ice, slowly...morphing through it. It was as though a body of ice were growing from the ice, and the farther it got from the frozen blockade as it stepped out, the more it turned back into a body. When the ice had completely fallen away, Kakashi could just recognize the nin in front of him.

"Zabuza's apprentice?"

The kunoichi smiled, but it didn't have any warmth to it.

"I'm glad you remember me, Hatake-san."

"Why are you here?" he asked, reaching for his hitaite.

"Can't you tell?" she asked,

Kakashi's eyes narrowed. The screaming that had been echoing down the hall moments before had been cut off as the ice had formed. Still, he thought he knew what was going on outside. And as for what Haku was doing here...revenge.

"Well, I think I can wager a guess. Let's get this over with, Haku. I have more important things to attend to."

Haku reached into her pouch, undoubtedly getting some senbon. "You mean what is happening outside? That will be over with soon, Hatake-san."

"Who is attacking, Haku. Who are you with?"

"My new master. He has shared with me the truth about Konoha, and I will be sure to aid him in whatever way I can. I am my master's tool."

The senbon that she threw at him were easy for him to see with his Sharingan, and he blocked them all and even returned a few, happy to hear her grunt when she wasn't quick enough to dodge. She looked up at him, and quickly followed through with the Kirigakure no jutsu, which easily covered the entire hallway.

Kakashi closed his Sharingan eye for the moment, considering how easily the simple jutsu negated it in frustration. Still, even if he couldn't see her, he didn't need his nin dogs this time to find her. He was fighting in a hallway—wider than most, to accommodate rushing medics with stretchers, and room for worried team mates, but it was still a hallway. A large enough Gokakyu could handle this.

Still, the same applied to Haku, who threw several barrages of senbons at him even as he went through the hand seals for the Gokakyu no jutsu. He ignored the slight pain from them, bringing his hands to his mouth and inhaling deeply, only to have it slammed out of his stomach as Haku kicked him had, sending him crashing back into the ice.

Kakshi stood gasping for air, barely managing to block a second attack from Haku. The mist was even thicker than normal in the hallway, and it made it hard to see her even when she was standing right next to him. As she backed off for a moment to recollect herself, Kakashi quickly jumped past her, while using Naruto's clver idea of a doton jutsu to build his own wall, effectively cutting Haku off from him.

He sighed and caught his breath. Haku would have to break through the earthen wall to get to him, and while she was doing that, he turned to inspect the ice. The thin hallway wasn't very accommodating for his jutsu, especially when the mist was so thick. Behind him he could already hear the earth frost up and slowly begin to crack. Kakashi rubbed his hands together. They were freezing at the moment, and he wasn't so sure he could handle a kunai effectively in his nearly numb hands. Worse, his hand seals would slow down with the cold, while Haku, whom he assumed didn't feel the cold, or had at least prepared for it, wouldn't be hindered at all. The longer this battle went on, the worse the odds got for him.

The earth wall behind him shattered into small chunks of ice, and Kakashi realized he still hadn't done anything about the ice wall keeping him trapped. He quickly pulled off a Gokakyu in Haku's direction, forcing her to hopefully jump back, while he turned and performed a second fireball into the ice—no effect.

"That will not work, Hatake-san. My ice cannot be broken so easily. In fact, only one person has managed to break any of my ice so far. He was one of your students."

Kakashi thought quickly. Both Sasuke and Naruto had squared off against Haku in wave, and had come out alive. It would be pathetic for him, a jounin, to lose to Haku when his genin had successfully defeated her. He knew every technique that his genin did, and with the small repertoire that they had shared during the wave mission, he wasn't sure any of them could break through the ice. Then he realized. Naruto had tapped into the Kyuubi's power on the bridge, meaning that the only reason his genin had defeated Haku was the Kyuubi's power.

Kakashi sighed. "Since I cannot break through the ice, then it seems I just have to get rid of you first." He sprinted through the mist into Haku's direction, blinding throwing kunai. He knew that this seemed hopeless, but he could only hope he got lucky, or someone came to help him somehow.

His fears only got worse as Haku suddenly came into view, seals spread all over her body. _'The Cruse seal...' _he thought,_ 'This is going to be tougher than I thought.'_

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Orochimaru jumped up, grabbing The Hokage as he did so. His guards jumped with him, quickly taking up positions on the corners of the roof before quickly performing seals and creating a strong barrier, to block out anyone from interrupting Orochimaru's fight with the Konoha leader.

To protect any attack from the Hokage in his possible escape attempt, they turned an erected a second barrier to protect themselves, effectively blocking themselves out from attacks from any direction. They could probably be of better use attacking Konoha itself, but Orochimaru had given them explicit instructions to make sure no one interfered, claiming he only trusted them. It was an honor to have Orochimaru-sama put such trust in them.

The Hokage roughly wrestled himself away from Orochimaru, and tried to send a powerful kick into the younger man, forcing Orochimaru to jump back to a safer distance. The two of them watched each other in silence for a moment, an odd sense of nostalgia overtaking the Hokage.

Orochimaru decided to break the silence, slowly walking towards the Hokage. "Sarutobi-sensei. You have no idea how long I have been waiting for this day." Orochimaru licked his lips as he stared at the older man.

"My wayward student returns. I had hoped this day would not come, Orochimaru. Why are you doing this?" Sarutobi gestured sadly to the destruction taking place outside of the barrier that the sound four had erected around them.

Orochimaru smiled evily. "Today, Konoha falls at last! And I made sure that you would be able to watch it all happen, right in front of you, and be unable to do anything. My kawaii sound four have helped with that that."

"Then it seems I have no choice but to fight, Orochimaru." Sarutobi pulled his hokage robes off to reveal his full battle attire, and immediately began his hand seals.

"So slow, Sarutobi-sensei." laughed Orochimaru, already finishing his own jutsu. "Old age must have taken its toll."

Sarutobi grunted as he dodged several snakes from Orochimaru. "I doubt you have not felt the effects either, Orochimaru."

"On the contrary," Orochimaru moved up to grip his face, slowly pulling at the skin, only to reveal a much younger face. "I do not age at all, Sarutobi!"

The Hokage's eyes widened in shock, and he nearly lost concentration as he created an earth mud river to flow into Orochimaru, before following up with a Karyuu endan, watching in grim satifaction as Orochimaru fell beneath the jutsu.

"Come now, Orochimaru. I know that you are not finished off by only that."

Sinister laughter answered him as Orochimaru slowly rose from the ground, apparently unharmed. "You know me well, Sarutobi-sensei. Allow me to show you a special treat I prepared just for you. I'm afraid I only prepared one where I meant to have two, but I'm sure that he will be able to handle it. Kuchiyose no jutsu Edo tensei!"

Sarutobi watched in fearful fascination as a wooden coffin rose from the roof of the building they were on, as though it were coming out of the ground. The coffin slowly opened to reveal the Shodaime, who opened his eye and slowly stepped out, smiling at Sarutobi.

"It has been a long time, has it not, Sarutobi?"

The old man could barely speak—there was so much he wanted to say to the man who had been an old mentor for him in his youth, but on the other hand, he never wanted to see such a respectable man used in such a vile way—twisted to Orochimaru's will and forced to destroy his own creation, the hidden village of Konoha.

The Shodaime spared Sarutobi a sympathetic smile as Orochimaru placed the fuda into him, effectively binding him to Orochimaru's will and completing the obscene jutsu. The snake sannin laughed cruelly before he lifted his head up and drew the Kusanagi.

"Now, Shodaime-kun, kill Sarutobi."

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Kabuto hurried down the dark corridor. The power had gone out for the lights in the hallway because of the attack, and if it weren't for the backup generator to keep the medical equipment powered, he wouldn't know where he was going at all, as the light coming from the small windows in the doors allowed him to just barely see where he was going.

He had a simple mission given to him by Orochimaru-sama. And truly, Kabuto didn't know of anyone else who might be able to accomplish this, especially after Sasuke-kun's injury. He had been ordered to convince Sasuke that Orochimaru's tutelage would help him achieve his goals far better than anything Konoha could do for him. Not only that, but in light of Sasuke's injury, he'd also have to carefully wake the boy up without causing him further injury.

He eventually felt the air begin to get colder, and he hunched in on himself, breathing into his hands to warm them up, only to realize his breath was coming out in white puffs. He chuckled, realizing he must be somewhere near Haku-kun. Only she would be able to do this. which lead to another concern—Haku had been very clear in saying she only intended on fighting Kakashi, which would mean that if Haku was using her techniques, then the copy-cat jounin was also somewhere nearby.

Kabuto began to creep up slowly, making sure that he wouldn't stumble into the crossfire of such a fight, running his hand along the wall in the darkness to make sure he didn't stray too far, noly to find his hand eventually run into a solid block of ice. He stepped back and created a small bit of light with his chakra, and his eyes widened in shock. After a moment though, he smirked, approving of Haku's method.

Behind that wall of ice was where Haku was fighting Kakashi. The copy nin would be trapped, unable to break through the barrier, and with the curse seal, Haku would be more than a match for Kakashi. Kabuto smirked and walked further down the hall, eventually finding another medical room with the lights on. He pushed it open to find several med nins looking over the Uchiha, and a heavily bandaged Lee resting in his bed.

Kabuto pushed the door open fully and walked in, alerting the med nins to his presence. One of them stood up quickly. "Do you know what's going on? We've been down here for the longest time, we sent two up to find out but they have returned or radioed back, we were getting worried with how-"

The med nin fell with a gurgle, clutching the wound in his throat, even if he wasn't bleeding. Kabuto lowered his hand, which still had his chakra scalpel active. He'd severed the man's throat from the inside, as well as his air passages, making him eventually drown in his own blood. He watched as the he tried to heal himself, but Kabuto stomped on the hand, breaking his fingers, and stopping him from even attempting to create hand seals.

The other med nin in the room watched this in shock for a moment before being snapped out of it when Kabuto laughed loudly. "Let's get this over with, shall we?"

The fight was quick, and Kabuto certainly had fun doing it. He was far more skilled than other medic nins, and could easily regenerate any wounds that they would cause him with their pitiful skills. In a quick 5 minutes, all of them were on the ground, dead, except for the one who had managed to wound him. He gave him special treatment, severing all of the major tendons in the arms and legs, and then his vocal cords, causing the man to be silently screaming as he attempted to move, only to aggravate the wounds further. Torn tendons were never pleasant, and the best part was the man wouldn't die from it. Kabuto would finish him after he was done speaking with Sasuke.

He walked up to the sedated boy and slowly pulled out a vial of adrenaline that he'd kept with him, putting a syringe into the bottle and drawing it out and then testing the plunger. Satisfied, he found the Uchiha's vein and injected him with a small dosage, watching the boys eyelids begin fluttering, and finally opened, revealing a full Sharingan.

Kabuto smirked as the boy immediately brought his hands up to his head, or tried to, before gasping in pain. He motioned for the boy to lie still, and somehow, through the boys groaning, managed to get him to listen.

"Listen to me, quietly. I need you to be calm, or you will only hurt yourself more."

Sasuke seemed to nod, and Kabuto carried on.

"I was sent by my master, who promises to make you stronger. He knows you are an avenger, and the people of Konoha will never understand that." Kabuto paused as Sasuke tried not to scream. "They don't want you using these powerful techniques like Chidori, or anything that might be truly harmful—anything that might be useful for killing Itachi." This time, Sasuke really did scream, but he focuses his Sharingan eyes on Kabuto.

"My master is promising to train you if you agree. We will also make sure the best medics take care of that injury, which, I can promise you," Kabuto eyed the dead medics, "Konoha doesn't have the manpower to take care of. Think about it, Uchiha Sasuke. You would be the student of a sannin, the feared Orochimaru. He alone can help you kill Itachi right now."

Sasuke groaned in pain, his face contorting in agony, and Kabuto grabbed his arm and sent another syringe into his arm, this time full of sedative.

Kabuto walked out of the medical ward, leaving Sasuke. Orochimaru had stressed that he should not force the boy to join them, but just tell him the offer...the curse seal would do the rest, as well as Sasuke's natural tendency to want to avenge his family. Kabuto walked up to the ice wall, inspecting it for a moment. Haku was always so thorough. He turned to walk away, when he noticed the ice was turning to slush, quicker than it should. That could only mean Chakra was leaving the ice quickly, and since it was unnatural ice to begin with, it would not last long without chakra sustaining it. Already puddles were forming at his feat.

Kabuto frowned and waited for enough room to open up between the ceiling and the ice before he slipped through. Haku was losing the fight. Kakashi was standing over him and had Kabuto not stepped in and blocked the kunai, Kakashi would have dealt the finishing blow.

Kakashi eyed him a moment before his eyes widened. "You! Kabuto!"

Kabuto smirked and activated his chakra scalpel. "Kakashi no Sharingan. I would be honored to continue this fight, since Haku is unable to..."

Kakashi took a step back, already realizing that if Kabuto could create a chakra scalpel, and move fast enough to block his attack from hitting Haku, then Kabuto was not the genin he seemed.

"You are working for Orochimaru," he murmured. "Then I suppose I will have to kill both of you."

Kabuto's smirk widened, but Haku reached up quickly and grabbed Kabuto's arm. "If you kill him, I will kill you, Kabuto-san. Regardless of what Orochimaru wants. He is mine."

Kabuto paused, and then lowered his head in a small bow. "Fine." He turned towards Kakashi. "I'm sorry, Kakashi-san. Maybe another time? Don't you have Sasuke to worry about anyway? I was just talking to him not a minute ago."

Kakashi's eyes widened, and before he could decide whether to attack Kabuto anyway or to check on Sauke, Kabuto and Haku were gone. Kakashi turned and quickly ran back to the medical ward.

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Naruto panted, holding his side. Gaara was nearly impossible to defeat. The sand, he realized, was autonomous when it came to defense. Gaara didn't even have to think about it. Naruto tested the idea with differerent Kage Bunshin, that he knew for a fact that Gaara didn't know were there, and when they attacked Gaara from behind, they were quickly blocked and destroyed.

The fight had continued like that for awhile, Naruto trying to attck only to be blocked and swatted away, and Gaara simply standing there. It wasn't until Naruto tapped into the Kyuubi's chakra that things got exciting.

He could feel the sweet, yet turbulent chakra flood into him, the loud roar fill his ears, like tortured souls screaming, and the burning chakra making him feel ecstatic and bloodthirsty at the same time. He wanted to use it, and at the same time, the chakra made him feel sick. But even so, the pleasure of using the chakra and pure primal fury he felt needed to be sated when using the chakra. Kyuubi's chakra was like a drug he realized, and the more often he used it, the more often he wanted to use it. It was addictive. Jiraiya had warned him about it though, how it could twist his personality into the monster inside him, and Naruto was careful. Just this once, he'd use it. That's why he had it, right? To defeat difficult enemies?

Naruto watched Gaara's eyes widen and his body stiffen with satisfaction. Kyuubi's chakra had that effect on people, and with the added killing intent that Naruto could focus on people, Gaara wasn't having an easy time. His breathing was getting labored.

That was when the fight became a little more even. Naruto began slamming into the sand Nin, barely even noticing the sand as it gathered up his leg, only to be swatted away a moment later. Gaara was in a state of shock. He'd never been manhandled like this, and ti was entirely new—but the shock quickly gave away to anger, and Gaara began to pull out more of his power, transforming part of his body into the monster inside him.

Naruto paused for a moment, and it was the hesitation that caused him to get hit by several sand shuriken, all of them pounding into his stomach like a fist, only he could hear his own rips snapping from the force. Luckily, the warmth of Kyuubi's chakra flooded to the area and numbed the pain, before the tingling pleasure replaced that, and Naruto's ribs repaired themselves.

Naruto raised his hand, forcing the Kyuubi's chakra to obey him as he forced it out and made it take the form of an arm, grabbing Gaara and squeezing, snapping the boy's leg. Gaara screamed and thrw more sand at Naruto, but he dodged them easily and threw Gaara to the side.

"You will prove my existence!" screamed Gaara, standing as his own bones were mended by the Shukaku.

Naruto grinned, running at Gaara again only to be blocked and surrounded by a huge wave of sand. He tried to turn, realizing he was trapped, and summoned out more of Kyuubi's chakra. "Fuuton, Atsugai!" he yelled, creating such an outward pressure with wind that it created a small explosion of sand away from him.

Gaara in turn brought out more of himself, smiling maniacally, and drooling out of the side of his mouth. "Yes mother! You will taste his blood! I promise! Come, Uzumaki Naruto!"

Naruto obliged, and once again was beaten down by sand, grabbed by it and held up in the air as another swath of sand slammed into him repeatedly, like a bat slammed into a baseball. Eventually Gaara became tired of this and threw the broken Naruto into the arena wall, where hey lay for a moment, dazed and broken, welcoming the Kyuubi's powers as it repaired his body again.

He stood up, renewed, and suddenly remembered. He was using kyuubi's eyes. He laughed and decided to use it, remember Kurenai telling him her thoughts on Gaara at one point before the finals. His sand would always be something he had to dodge or block, and break through on his attacks, but his sand could not block genjutsu!

He formed several handseals, and decided to test one of the more simple genjutsu, if what the fox had told him before was true, his genjutsu right now would be far more powerful.

For a moment, nothing happened, and Naruto took a step forward, shrugging it off. He wanted to smash Gaara anyway. The genjutsu wouldn't satisfy his kyuubi induced bloodlust. He stopped though when Gaara suddenly let out a heart wrenching scream.

"Stop it MOTHER!"

Naruto watched in fascination and some apprehension as Gaara clutched his own head and surrounded himself with sand, slowly building up, higher and higher, and as it grew, it changed, forming more and more into the Shukaku. Naruto took a wary step backwards. Shukaku was out.

Suddenly, Jiraiya was there, standing next to his student and watching as Gaara forced himself to sleep.

"This is bad." he said. He turned and looked at Naruto, who was surrounded with the Kyuubi's chakra. "hm. Interesting. Was this a kyuubi against Shukaku fight?" he asked, knowing that refering to Naruto as Kyuubi would piss the boy off.

"Of course not, bastard!" snarled naruto, taking a threatening step forward.

"Then why are you using the Kyuubi's chakra? Help me beat him with your own power, baka."

Jiraiya crouched down and bit his thum as Naruto tried to calm himself down and clear himself of the Fox's chakra."Kuchiyose no jutsu!"

Suddenly, both of them were on top of a gigantic toad, smoking a pipe. "Eh? Jiraiya? What do you want?"

Jiraiya pointed at Shukaku. "That, Gamabunta."

"Hm. Well, I suppose nobody else is going to do it. What's going on with Konoha right now?"

"I'll explain later."

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

Hinata watched as the...thing, rose up into the sky from where the arena was. Next to her, kiba whistled. "Wow. What the hell is that?" he asked.

Everyone had stopped to look, the academy students, the instructors, the genin. All of them turned with wide eyes which only grew larger as a large toad appeared facing the monster. On top of it, Hinata could just make out both Jiraiya sama and Naruto with her Byakuugan.

"Naruto-kun."

Kiba looked at her and snorted. "Are you kidding? Naruto can't do that."

An academy student spoke up loudly, "Naruto-nii-san?"

Hinata nodded her head, a worried look on her face as she watched jiraiya and Naruto begin to fight the demon from atop of the toad.

"Hai. I cansee them with my Byakuugan, Jiraiya-sama and Naruto-kun."

"Tch. Whatever." Kiba began urging the academy students on along with Shino, and further down the line Ino and Chouji also began leading the students away, but they were casting worried glances at the arena as well.

"If Jiraiya-sama is with him, I'm sure Naruto will be okay," Chouji said. "Let's just concentrate on this right now."

'But do any of you know what that is?" asked Ino, pointing at the monster they were fighting.

"Shukaku." answered Shino. "It is the one tailed demon."

"What?" Ino shrieked. "Naruto is going to—"

Chouji clamped his hand down over Ino's mouth, pointing at Hinata, who was still watching the fight worriedly. Ino nodded, and she fell silent.

They all turned though to see Shukaku shrieking after a moment, it slowly dissolve into bits of sand, and seconds later, the toad disappeared as well. Everyone turned to look at Hinata, whose worried expression at turned into a small smile of relief.

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

Jiraiya looked up at where Orochimaru was fighting the Hokage. _you better be alive still, Sarutobi-sensei' _he thought grimly, only to be surprised moments later when the barrier disappeared and five figures fled from it, one of the undoubtedly Orochimaru.

"Ero-sennin?" asked Naruto, taking a step forward.

Jiraiya glanced at him. "Not now, Naruto. I have to go. You did well with Shukaku."

He jumped off to go catch up to Orochimaru. He wouldn't get away this time.

Naruto turned with a sigh to see two sand nins picking Gaara up, eyeing Naruto cautiously. The girl, Temari, stepped forward and raised her fan, while the other Kankuro, summoned his puppets. Gai landed in front of them though and did his nice guy pose, only this time, rather than a smile and a thumbs up, he pointed his thumb down and frowned. Gai's face was scary when he wasn't happy.

"I am having a most unyouthful day!" he said, assuming a stance.

that all that was needed to scare the sand genins away. They picked up Gaara and quickly fled, not even checking to see if Gai was following.

Gai turned and glanced at Naruto, who flinched back at Gai's scary face. Gai definitely didn't look happy. He nodded to Naruto once and jumped off.

Jiraiya was following Orochimaru and the four nins behind him. He was getting closer, and he could tell Orochimaru was injured. He tried not to think about what that must mean for Sarutobi-sensei if Orochimaru was still alive. He was about to catch up when two other ninjas began following Orochimaru, and he wiped blood onto Orochimaru's arm, summoning several large snakes to attack Konoha and let him escape.

Jiraiya sighed and summoned several toads, knowing that if he went after Orochimaru, not only would he have trouble dealing with that many ninja on top of Orochimaru, practically a suicide mission, but the snakes would decimate the already tried Konoha ninja. He let Orochimaru get away, for now.

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

**End of CHAPTER 13**

And the Invasion is over, and Sasuke's been tempted I hope not many people are too angry about Haku's new 'master'. I have a long side story for her planned, so don't give up hope on her. She's an interesting character.

I should have the next chapter out in 4 days or so. Generally I take 4 days for a chapter anyway, so I guess I don't need to say that anymore. Um, that's it. When I'm writing these chapters I always think of something I want to say, then when I write over here I forgot what I wanted to say. I hate that!


	14. Aftermath

Disclaimer– "Without charm there can be no perfect literature, as there can be no perfect flower without fragrance." - Arthur Symons

The Maelstrom of Konoha**-1.14**

**The Tale of a Young Boy's Ascent into the Legends**

_I know I need to work on writing to evoke emotion, so be a little forgiving for the funeral part. Anyway, um, I realize that this story is kind of 'naruto rewritten', but I still think it has some really original elements and unique concepts. If your one of those people, check back sometime in march for book 2. It doesn't really follow canon at all. - Cantor_

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

It was a cloudy day. The rain fell unrelentingly on the group gathered in front of the grave, soaking them through their clothes. The soft droplets of rain muffled the sobbing of shinobi and villager alike. The entire village had gathered after hearing the news, dressed in their best clothes, standing in solemn silence out of respect for the fallen hero. Konoha, in addition to losing many loved ones in the attack, had lost their leader, the Sandaime Hokage. The news was like a second blow to their already discouraged hearts; the looming clouds dimmed the day, matching the disheartened citizens, and the pouring rain made it seem like the village itself was weeping.

An elegant casket had been placed in front of the freshly dug earth. In front of it stood the many shinobi and others who knew the Hokage well, while further back the many others paid their respects in silence, leaving shortly after. The men and women in the front, many of whom were crying and comforting each other, took turns approaching the casket to share their last words with their departed leader; offering small gifts or white roses before parting one final time.

Naruto had come earlier than most, along with Konohamaru. He cared for the old man deeply, and losing him felt like a knife was twisting in his gut. He had considered the old man as somewhat of a close relative, since as long as he could remember; it was the Old Man who really took care of him. Naruto briefly glanced over at Konohamaru. His eyes were as red as his own must have been, and the tears streamed down his face before mixing with the rain and falling to the mud. He couldn't begin to fathom what Konohamaru was feeling. He simply stared at the grave as the many other shinobi and villagers came up to pay their respects, his tears running down his face.

A lot of the rookies and genin found support among themselves, and they began sharing their stories and memories of the Hokage. The older ninja eventually joined in, sometimes sharing a funny story, sometimes admirable, and other times regretful. All of the people were teary eyed as they spoke, but as more and more people joined in to share their stories about the Hokage, the less people felt so bad, as their shared memories had revived the Hokage in a sense, and created a bond between the mourners, comforting them ever so slightly. It was enough. As villagers bonded over the shared loss of their beloved leader, bonds formed and strengthened for it.

Naruto didn't take part in the circle for long, and had in fact separated himself from his friends early. He trudged through the mud towards the base of a tree. The wet roots sticking out of the ground were slick beneath his feet. He sat down, not bothering to care whether his clothes became muddy. He didn't have the strength to stand any longer. He sat at the base of a tree, watching the ceremony from the outside in. Jiraiya approached him shortly after. He stared off at the ceremony for a moment before sighing and putting a hand on his pupil's shoulder.

"Are you alright?" he asked quietly, studying Naruto in concern.

Naruto nodded silently. He didn't trust himself to really open his mouth and try to speak. His throat felt hoarse and his eyes were raw from the crying. Near the casket, Konohamaru's grief stricken cries caused Iruka to hurry over to try and console the boy, and moments later Asuma, for once not smoking, did as well.

Jiraiya groaned slightly as he sat down on the ground next to Naruto. The older ninja seemed to have spent his own tears as well, judging by the redness of his eyes. He looked up at Naruto and motioned for him to sit as well while they watched the other ninja giving their respects.

"Did you go up and speak to him yet?" Jiraiya asked quietly.

Naruto shook his head, opening his mouth before croaking out, "Not yet."

Jiraiya nodded. "Neither have I," he admitted. "There's so much I want to say to my old sensei," he said, glancing at Naruto. The younger boy wasn't looking at him, but he could tell he had Naruto's full attention. "At the same time though, going up there," he pointed towards the casket, "and finally saying those things, will be the final time I talk to Sarutobi-sensei."

Naruto nodded. Jiraiya was voicing something very similar to how he felt. And the weird thing was the things he really wanted to say to the Old Man weren't really that important. They were little things; how much he used to love sharing meals with the Hokage at Ichiraku's, or how much he appreciated the Hokage taking time out of his day just to help him. He wanted to tell the old man how he used to love how he used to laugh at Naruto's pranks, even the ones that were on him—painting his monument to look like a woman, or stealing his Hokage hat so he had to walk around bald. The little memories suddenly meant so much. The blond clenched his jaw and steeled himself, trying not to cry anymore. He looked up at Jiraiya when he started speaking again, still with that quiet, thoughtful tone.

"But you know, even if this is goodbye, it doesn't mean you should forget about him. Sarutobi-sensei was a great man, Naruto. And we should both be cherishing those memories we have of him." There was a moment of silence, and Jiraiya glanced back behind Naruto before he patted the boy on the back and stood up, heading towards the casket.

Naruto was sitting in silence for a few moments when two people walked up behind him. Kurenai and Anko knelt down on either side of him, ignoring the soaked ground as much as he and Jiraiya had. Naruto looked at them. Both of them were crying, Anko was biting her lower lip, and wiping furiously at her eyes, while Kurenai simply let them stream down her face. They sat in silence for a moment, and suddenly a huge amount of grief piled up on Naruto, and he broke out in fresh sobs. It was as if the news of the Sandaime's death had hit him all over again.

"I miss him," he choked, leaning into Kurenai. He clenched his eyes shut against the fresh tears that built up while Kurenai held him close to her.

"We all do, Naruto." Somehow she managed to seem so calm, and Naruto, who would normally never allow anyone to see him crying, wept even harder, and held tightly onto the red eyed jounin.

"I miss him so much..." Naruto sniffed and wiped his face, trying to ignore how childish he must look. He felt Anko lean into him and hug him as well, and the three of them stayed there, crying together in a little huddle in the rain, comforting each other. It would be awhile before any of them moved, and even longer before Naruto gathered up to courage to follow Jiraiya's advice and finally say goodbye to such an important figure in his life.

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

Two figures watched the entire funeral from a distance. They were similar uniforms, black cloaks with red clouds, wide brimmed straw hats, and painted finger nails. One was clearly larger than the other, though the smaller had a much more commanding presence.

"So he really is dead then?" asked the larger.

"It appears so. To think that this village was once so strong, and now it nearly lay in ruin. All because of that snake."

"Oh? Won't even say the snake's name?"

The smaller man remained silent, and the other followed suit after a moment. They both watched as everyone left the funeral, including the young Uzumaki Naruto, with several other shinobi.

"So that's him?"

"Yes."

"Hm. Doesn't seem so strong for a container."

"You know who he contains, this will not be easy."

"hai, hai."

"Then let's go, Kisame."

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

He stood in a room full of people, clan heads, advisors, and other influential people. All because of his mistake. They stared at him, and he found himself concentrating on not shuffling his feet or showing any sign of discomfort. Even though he was in a packed room full of people, he felt awfully small and alone. He was in a room being fed to the proverbial wolves right now.

"Hatake Kakashi. Do you understand why you were called here?"

"Yes."

"Then let us begin," said the council member. He raised his voice so the entire room could hear clearly. "Hatake Kakashi, jounin sensei of team 7, which consists of Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura, and a Uzumaki Naruto, has been called here because of allegations of unfair teaching practice, as well as the indirect accessory to a certain Rock Lee's injury in the Chuunin Exams."

Everyone nodded. This was not news to them, but this must be stated out of necessity, to make sure that everyone understood the issue at hand.

"Kakashi taught his student Uchiha Sasuke an A rank assassination technique, for no other purpose than to be used in the Chuunin Exams. This technique, the 'Chidori', has been acknowledged to be one of the most lethal techniques. Is this true?"

Kakashi nodded his head dumbly. "Yes."

The council member continued on after Kakashi answered. "And yet, despite this, we see a simple genin using it on another genin of Konoha, for no other purpose than to promote himself. Konoha has always stood by the idea that teamwork and camaraderie is important, and this use of a killing technique by the genin raising some questions about Hatake Kakashi's sensibility in his teachings."

Kakashi's head bowed. He didn't want to see the faces of the council members scrutinizing him. He had not thought that Sasuke would be so desperate, and never would he think that Sasuke would use it in such a way on a fellow Konoha nin. Worse, he had no idea why he taught it at all. Sasuke truly had no use for it, at least, not in the Chuunin exams. He winced at the next question.

"Can you please explain to us your reasoning for teaching this technique to your student?"

Kakashi shook his head. "No, I cannot."

A man stood up suddenly, and Kakashi vaguely remembered him being one of the Sandaime's advisors.

"Is this because you do not have a valid reason, or because you refuse to tell us?"

"I did not have a valid reason for teaching Uchiha Sasuke my technique. I never once expected that he would use it in such a way, against a Konoha shinobi."

"What _did_you expect him to do with it?" Hyuuga Hiashi asked incredulously. "How could you expect a boy to responsibly wield such power?"

Kakashi was rarely found excited or speechless. But in this rare situation, Kakashi found himself floundering for answers. Luckily, Nara Shikaku spoke up.

"Alright, I think we've grilled him enough. I for one want to get back home soon so the wife doesn't throw a fit." a couple chuckles rose from the group then, alleviating some of the gravity of the situation. "Let's get on with this."

Homura stood up then, speaking for the entire council. "Hatake Kakashi. In light of recent events, as well as several complaints regarding your responsibility regarding your teaching methods, you will hereby be removed from the position as Team 7's sensei, and your genin will be moved to other teams. Until we find appropriate teams for the genin of team 7, you will continue to train them, under our supervision. The council will be giving you a training regimen which you will follow strictly when training your team. You will not be teaching anything unless this council gives you express permission. If we do not see swift improvements in both your teaching methods and your team, your position as a jounin sensei will be revoked permanently. Do you understand this?"

"Yes."

Homura nodded. "Good. You will be escorted out of the council chambers by ANBU."

Two ANBU guards approached Kakashi and waited for him to turn towards them before leading him out of the chambers. As he exited the room, he noticed that Jiraiya was leaning against the wall in the hallway. One of the ANBU guards nodded to the man and lead him into the council chamber. Kakashi tried to loiter a bit longer to see what it was that Jiraiya was speaking about, but one of the ANBU on his side poked him in the shoulder to move onwards.

Jiraiya walked into the gloomy council room with an equally gloomy expression. He hated the council, they didn't seem to truly serve a purpose in Konoha other than obstructing progress. He'd never say that aloud though. He moved into the same spot that Kakashi had been occupying, while the council members gathered themselves.

Homura stood up, once again taking charge of the situation. "I assume you know why you are here, Jiraiya-sama?" she asked respectfully, sharply contrasting with how she had spoken to Kakashi only moments before.

"I can take a guess," he responded.

Homura didn't even blink at his bluntness. She carried on though, in a tone that seemed somewhat rehearsed and thought over. "In the absence of true leadership, Konoha appears weak to the other shinobi nations. The council has all agreed that right now, after suffering this terrible attack, that we must have a capable leader to guide us through this uncertain time. With that in mind, this council, with the power vested in it, has nominated you as Godaime Hokage. Do you accept?"

Jiraiya put his hand to his chin, mocking deep though. "Hm...well..." he scratched his head, and gave a thoroughly 'Narutoesque' look at the council. Then, he snapped back to his normal expression and said simply, "Nope. Not interested."

Another council member stood up, interrupting anything Homura might say. "But you are the only eligible candidate! We need you as Hokage!"

"Hm, well last time I checked the Hokage has a lot of paper work...that makes it impossible to find the time to write my books...much less do the...eh...'research' for them."

A lot of the council members snorted at his response, but Jiraiya folded his arms and looked at them as seriously as he could. "I said no. Now find someone else, because I'm not stupid enough to take the job."

Homura nodded. "Fine. Then we have a request for you."

jiraiya raised his eyebrow, waiting patiently. "...and?"

"We want you to find Tsunade-sama, and request that she become Hokage of Konoha. And, if not that, then she should at least return to Konoha to help heal our wounded from the war. It is of utmost importance."

Jiraiya nodded. "Alright. But I want to take a genin with me. I have an interest in him."

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

Naruto sighed and looked over at his team mate, Sakura. She was leaning against a tree trunk, spinning a kunai on her finger while staring off, lost in thought.

"Hey, Sakura?"

No response.

He raised his voice a little. "Sakura!"

Her face snapped towards him and she fumbled with the kunai for a second, nearly cutting herself. "What, Naruto?" she asked, clearly annoyed. He had almost made her cut herself on a kunai!

"Are you alright?" he asked. "I mean, you're just staring off into space."

She didn't answer right away, and when he thought of it, he gasped. "You didn't—you didn't lose anyone in the attack, did you? I'm so sor—"

"No," she cut in. "It's nothing like that. I was just thinking about Sasuke-kun. It's weird for him to not be here. I feel out of place."

Naruto shrugged. "He's just in the hospital."

"I know that!" she snapped. "But I've heard he was hurt pretty seriously."

"What about Lee? He was really hurt too."

"I know! But Sasuke-kun is our team mate! Of course I'm more concerned about him!"

Naruto shrugged again. For some reason he didn't care as much about Sasuke as he did about Lee. Did that make him a bad team mate? He didn't bother to voice his question though. He was pretty sure of what Sakura's answer would be.

"Well, if you're that worried about him, we can go see him after Kakashi-sensei shows up," he suggested.

Sakura frowned at the mentioning of Kakashi. "He's always so late!"

Just as she said that, Kakashi shunshined next to her and snatched the kunai out of her hands. "Yo!"

Both Sakura and Naruto turned towards him and waited expectantly. Kakashi eyed them both sadly for a moment before asking them to walk with him. After a while, Kakashi stopped and sighed, his one eye closing as he did so. When it opened again, he looked from Naruto to Sakura carefully before speaking.

"I had to speak to the council today." he said. He held up his hand, forestalling the obvious question 'about what?'. "It was more of a disciplinary meeting, about me teaching Sasuke the Chidori.

"Chidori?" asked Sakura.

"The move that Sasuke used at the end of his fight against Lee."

"Oh."

"Well, you two don't know it, but that move...it is my personal jutsu, my only original technique. More importantly though, it's considered an A-rank assassination technique."

That was when Naruto blew up. "WHAT?" he yelled. "Why did you teach Sasuke that? What the hell?"

Kakashi jumped forward and clamped his hand over Naruto. "Shut up." he growled. "Don't think for a minute that you, my student, are allowed to lecture me, or that I haven't already been spoken to enough about this."

Kakashi let go of Naruto, and seeing that both Naruto and Sakura were waiting patiently for his explanation, he continued. "The council has decided that I will be put on probation. I'll probably be watched constantly as I teach you, and I'm only allowed to teach you two things which the council has cleared beforehand. I want both of you to know that if there are any mistakes, the council is ready to remove me as a sensei."

"What is happening to us then, sensei?" asked Naruto.

"Well, right now the council is talking to the other jounin sensei about taking you into their teams. Basically one of you will be moving onto team 8, and another on to team 10. This will only happen if the jounin sensei accepts you though. Gai could also take on of you in probably, since he's missing Lee..." Kakashi trailed off for a moment, before taking a deep shuddering breath and moving on. "Another option you two have is to opt out and wait for this next academy class to graduate, and you will be sorted onto new genin teams. It's up to you."

Naruto barely hid a smirk. He'd gladly go to Kurenai's team if he could. Sakura on the other hand frowned.

"What about Sasuke-kun?"

"Same thing. Although with the recent event, he will most likely be sorted into a new genin team, since what he did to Lee doesn't make him look good to any of the current jounin sensei, and they will most likely refuse to have him added on as an extra team member. In the case of the new genin teams, they are normally assigned to Jounin sensei, and it is difficult to have these team members changed if the Hokage, or council in this case, doesn't want you to change the team."

"But what if the team fails the real genin exam that the sensei gives?" Naruto asked.

"Then Sasuke will probably have to wait all over again. But if the team legitimately passes, the jounin can't fail them, and Sasuke will most likely be able to figure it out."

Naruto frowned. _'Placing blind faith in Sasuke again. Has he truly learned his lesson?'_

He was interrupted from his thoughts when Jiraiya stealthily landed next to the group, making Sakura gasp in surprise. Kakashi turned to greet the more experienced ninja.

"Hello, Jiraiya-sama."

Naruto wasn't so polite.

"Ero-sennin, what are you doing here?"

"Baka!" Sakura shrieked, hitting Naruto on the head. "Show some more respect!"

Jiraiya frowned at Sakura. "What are you doing lecturing Naruto? You didn't even bother to greet me."

Sakura's mouth moved soundlessly. Nobody had ever reprimanded her for correcting Naruto.

Jiraiya's frowned turned to Naruto. "I thought I told you to not call me that!" he whined.

Naruto sighed. "Fine, Ero-baka. I won't."

"That's even worse!"

Kakashi and Sakura sweatdropped at their antics, but soon Jiraiya became serious again.

"Naruto, I have a proposition for you."

"What is it?"

"Well, the council wants me to find a certain acquaintance of mine. It might take a little while. I was wondering if you'd like to tag along. It would be like an extended mission. I'll be teaching you a little along the way as well."

Naruto smiled widely. "When do we head out?"

"As soon as we can. Come with me, we'll get your stuff packed, and then we're heading out." answered Jiraiya.

Naruto nodded, and together the two of them began walking off towards the blonde's apartment. Sakura and Kakashi watched them with a mixture of shock, in Sakura's case, and hurt, in Kakashi's case. He had not realized how it would feel to lose control of his genin up until now. If he had objected to Naruto leaving with Jiraiya, his opinion would not have mattered at all. Somehow, that deeply bothered Kakashi. He would change things. He would definitely fix his teaching habits, and who knows? Maybe the council, or the next Hokage, would reinstate team 7 as a cell again, with him as the sensei.

He turned towards Sakura. "Do you want to see Sasuke with me? I have to tell him about our team."

Sakura smiled. "Of course, sensei!"

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

Jiraiya and Naruto walked quickly through the village, barely even sparing a few simple greetings with the various people they passed. It didn't matter anyway. A lot of people were too busy to notice them. They were working on rebuilding the different homes and other structures that were ruined in the attack. It had become a community effort. Neighbors were helping each other, Shinobi used their ninjutsu and speed to help out—everyone was involved.

Naruto and Jiraiya weren't though, and it was because of them hardly watching what waqs going on that they almost missed Kurenai and Anko hurry up to speak to them. Naruto probably wouldn't have noticed actually, but Jiraiya, with his pervert senses tingling, had come to an abrupt halt and turned to greet the two kunoichi.

"Ah! So you two gorgeous ladies have fallen for my obvious good looks, have you? Well I honestly don't blame you! But first, what do you two look like wearing only—"

"Move it!" Anko said, shoving him out of the way roughly. She spotted Naruto, who was still standing directly behind where Jiraiya had been. "Hello, Naru-kun!" she smiled, reaching out to hug him.

He quickly returned the hug before Kurenai pulled him towards her and hugged him. Naruto took the chance for once, using an idea he'd been wanting to try for a while. Carefully he gathered chakra into his finger tips and made it flow in small circles. He smirked slightly against Kurenai as he reached behind her and gently stroked her back with his chakra enhanced fingers. Kurenai stiffened for a moment at the feeling before sighing and melting into his touch.

Naruto moved his hands up to Kurenai's shoulders, and watched as she closed her eyes and let him gently run his fingers over her. She sighed contentedly. Finally, Naruto took his chance and reached up to pull Kurenai towards him before he put his chakra into his lips and kissed the older jounin.

Her eyes snapped open for a second and before he clsoed his eyes and deepened the kiss he could see the shock in her own eyes, but that too quickly gave way to a breathy moan into his mouth. He held her there in the kiss for several moments before he finally let go of her, and gave her a small on the other hand had the cockiest smirk ever.

"See Kure-chan? That wasn't so bad. You _loooooved_ it." she said.

Kurenai blinked down at Naruto for a moment, giving him a once over, before turning to Anko. "Wow."

There were quite a few catcalls and whoops coming from different shinobi and villagers who had seen them. After all, this was in the middle of a street, and people were busy carrying different supplies to help rebuild homes and other buildings.

Anko just shook her head, ignoring the catcalls. "I know, right, Kure-chan? The little brat's an amazing kisser. I can only imagine how good he is at other things..." she trailed off and glanced provocatively at Naruto's crotch. Before pulling Naruto in for a kiss of her own. Her hands trailed down Naruto's back and gave him an experimental 'squeeze' while huskily moaning into the kiss.

The kiss ended abruptly when Jiraiya grabed his arm and yanked him away from the women, yelling behind him, "Sorry! My student is a little perverted! I'll go have a little chat with him to stop this outrageous behavior!"

The older man dragged Naruto around the corner of a building and let go of him. He glanced back to make sure the kunoichis weren't hearing, and then turned back to his pupil. He got down on his hands and knees before speaking.

"Naruto! Please teach me! How do you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Get such beautiful women! You have talent, I can see it!"

Naruto folded his arms. "I don't know what you're talking about, Ero-sennin. It all just kind of happened."

"What? You've clearly seduced them at some point!"

"No I didn't! Ero-sennin, maybe you'd just be more lucky if you didn't peep at women all the time?"

"Naruto, at least go after women your own age! Those women deserve a more experienced man, like myself! If you truly love them—"

"No, Ero-sennin."

"Please, Naruto. I will teach you anything you want, Just tell me how you do that chakra thing with your lips, I have more...important areas I think it can be used. And tell me how you seduced Anko and Kurenai. I'll take you on a long training trip and teach you as my apprentice! Remember, I taught the Yondaime; think about it!"

Naruto scratched his head. "Um..."

Anko came out from behind the corner. "Hey! Naruto-kun, are you hiding from us?" she asked cutely, walking towards him with a sway in her hips. Naruto backed up, seeing the gleam in Anko's eyes, only to bump into someone else, who wrapped their arms around him, pulling him into their...well-endowed chest.

"Going somewhere, Naruto-kun? I still haven't paid you back for the kiss you stole." Kurenai whispered into his ear.

He shivered from the sexy tone of her voice, and seeing Anko lick her lips while looking at him. He could already feel himself getting turned on from the two women, when Kurenai suddenly shoved him away from her into Anko. The snake mistress held onto him and turned him towards Kurenai, who pulled out a kunai.

"Huh? Wha? What are you doing?" Naruto stuttered.

"Oooh Kure-chan's kinky! I had no idea!" laughed Anko.

Jiraiya simply went wide eyed and pulled out his booklet before scribbling furiously, muttering about the next book.

Kurenai blushed, and put the kunai away. "No, that's not it. I was going to scare Naruto-kun a bit for stealing the kiss like that," she said, before adding on in a quieter tone, "even if it _was_an amazing kiss."

Anko smirked as she pulled Naruto behind her. "Aw, well Naru-kun, it seems Kure-chan doesn't really like you after all. Well, you and I can still be fuck buddies if you want." She glanced back at Naruto, ignoring his blowfish look, and added, "Actually... no. A real relationship. I think I'd like that."

She bent down and kissed Naruto gently, before pulling away. Then she turned back to Kurenai.

"Well Kure-chan. Do you really not want to share him with me?"

Kurenai paused for a moment, stuck in between as true indecisiveness hit. Finally, she simply said, "He's too young, Anko. I'm sorry Naruto. If you were older, I would."

Anko pouted, but Naruto smiled instead. "Okay. I'll wait, Kurenai-chan!"

Both Anko and Kurenai's eyebrows rose, and Jiraiya squealed gleefully in the background. "You'll...wait?" Kurenai asked.

"Of course! Ero-sennin," Naruto pointed at the white haired pervert, who indignantly said he was 'Jiraiya-sensei,' not 'Ero-sennin'. "He said that I'll be gone to find someone, and..." Naruto paused again. "He also said he's going to take me on an extended training trip if I help him out with something."

"Oh, getting trained by a sannin, eh Naru-kun?" Anko said, eyeing the old man.

Kurenai walked up to Jiraiya. "Jiraiya-sama," she began respectively. Jiraiya nodded to her, all the while trying to see down her blouse. "Thank you for offering to train Naruto-kun. However," she said in a dark tone, making Jiraiya pause. "If you turn him into a pervert, I swear I will take a blunt kunai and castrate you, so you'll never 'enjoy yourself', and then I'll blind you, so you won't even be able to see women either!" Kurenai said ominously.

Anko stepped forward too. "And maybe I'll stick you in a cell with a big gay man!" she said brightly, making Jiraiya's eyes bulge out.

"N-no!" he gasped. "Please!"

Anko and Kurenai smiled mischievously. "Well, we warned you."

Jiraiya gathered all of his writing materials and stood up quickly. "Come on, Naruto! We're going! We have to hurry up so we don't leave too late!"

The two found themselves at konoha gate half an hour later, fully packed and ready for their journey. The guards at the gate nodded to them with smiles and let them out without a fuss.

"Where are we headed?" Naruto asked almost immediately.

"We're finding an old acquaintance of mine, Tsunade, the slug sannin. She'll probably be in one of the gambling cities, and I know that not too long ago she was in one not too far from here."

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

Kyuubi growled in frustration. His opponent had made an extremely good move, and if it weren't for Kyuubi's quick thinking and several sacrifices, he was pretty sure he would have lost by now. His opponent had just went in an almost all-out attack, even bringing their guardian in to help. That had led to some problems, and the loss of plenty of Kyuubi's pieces.

Luckily, they weren't crucial pieces. No—he had his important pieces still in the background, safe and moving in groups, preparing to attack. He only had two of his pieces nearby where the attack had been, and right now they had their own purpose, both to guard over the pieces that his opponent had captured, and would be changing sides soon, as well as protecting his own guardian, for now.

Kyuubi's growls lessened. In fact, if he thought about it, his opponent was probably in a worse position after that. He had already risked his guardian, where as his was still safe and sound.

The fox demon mused over his guardian, picking it up for a moment and inspecting it. It was not as strong as he would have liked. In fact, he doubted his guardian would ever be as strong as he wanted. It was more than likely inhibiting his overall strength on the board.

The fox swished his tails and glared up at where his opponent would be, had his opponent actually been occupying space inside his seal. He still couldn't understand his opponent's motives. Kyuubi smirked confidently. It didn't matter. He'd win in the end.

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

Sasuke watched from his bed as Kakashi walked in, followed shortly after by his pink haired team mate, Sakura. He couldn't sit up to greet them as he normally would, his spine had suffered a serious injury, and it seemed that the head injury he suffered also and induced some seizures. Doctors were keeping him restrained at the moment to prevent any further injury. Both of them looked abnormally subdued, though Sakura did flash him a smile and place a few flowers at his bedside. She didn't speak though. Nobody spoke, actually. There was a long stretch of silence before Kakashi finally sighed.

"Sasuke, I have some bad news to tell you."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes from the bed, but he waited patiently.

"It seems that your fight with Lee has had some serious consequences." Kakashi said. Sasukra, gave him a sorrowful smile from behind the jounin.

"And?" Sasuke asked impatiently.

"Well, the Council and many shinobi in the village did not like the fact that I taught you Chidori, and they really didn't like the fact that you used it on Lee."

"So what? It's not like they will do anything."

"Actually Sasuke, they have. You see, the Chidori is considered a technique for assassination, and it's mean to kill. The fact that you used it on Lee, a fellow Konoha shinobi, doesn't sit well with most people, and it reflects badly on both of us; me for teaching it; you for using it. The council has therefor removed me as sensei for team 7." Kakashi watched Sasuke as he said this.

Sasuke only snorted. "So what will be happening then?" he asked, hardly caring about whether Kakashi truly taught him or not.

The jounin sighed again. "Well, you will be split up among different jounin sensei, like Asuma and Kurenai, or Gai. However, these jounin sensei have to agree to take you...and most likely, they won't want you on their teams after your fight with Lee. So you might end up with a team fresh out of the academy."

Sasuke gritted his teeth. "That's bullshit! They can't do that!"

"I'm afraid they can."

"What the hell? So what about Sakura and Naruto?"

Sakura finally spoke up, "I'm trying to get into team 10 with Asuma sensei. Naruto...I don't know actually. I haven't seen him since he left with Jiraiya not too long ago."

"Jiraiya? The sannin?" asked sasuke.

"Yes," answered Kakashi. "It seems Jiraiya has taken an interest in Naruto, and might be training him. But this won't be permanent; Naruto _will_be moved into a genin team like you two, eventually. But Jiraiya might have some sway over the council and still teach Naruto for a good period of time."

Sasuke clenched his fists. "I can't believe this. The _dobe_ is training with a sannin! While I am shoved aside like some idiot? Why does he get special treatment?"

Kakashi shook his head. "I'm beginning to understand what Kurenai has been telling me this whole time, I think. Sasuke, you should feel happy for Naruto, now that he finally is receiving such a skilled teacher, not angry that you did not get it first."

"Fuck that! I deserve the training, at least I would be able to understand and learn what Jiraiya taught me! That dobe will probably be wasting the sannin's time!"

Sakura spoke up again, trying to play the peacemaker. "Sasuke-kun, you'll be able to beat Naruto even after he gets trained by Jiraiya! Besides, I'm sure you'll find a teacher just as skillful sometime!"

Sasuke's eyes widened, as Kabuto's words flashed back into his head. Kabuto's master was Orochimaru, wasn't it? Orochimaru had attacked Konoha, and Kabuto had said that his master was interested in him...

Sasuke's smile returned, surprising Kakashi and Sakura. "Thank you, Sakura," he said. "I'm sure your right."

Kakashi eyed him a moment before nodding, while Sakura simply beamed, happy to have helped Sasuke-kun in any way. Together, the two of them left the room, leaving Sasuke to his thoughts.

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

**End of CHAPTER 14**

Well, this chapter might not be up to par...I don't know? We'll see. But I think i'm going to take a few extra days to write the next chapter. So expect it um...5-6 days from now? Instead of the normal 4. That's it!"


	15. Tsunade

Disclaimer– "There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it's going to be a butterfly."- Buckminster Fuller

The Maelstrom of Konoha**-1.15**

**The Tale of a Young Boy's Ascent into the Legends**

_I had intended originally on this being the last chapter of book 1, (with certain events happening in earlier chapter), but I want to give this book a few more chapters to close some few loose ends, and then move on to book 2. Also, I realize that I was terribly late for this chapter. Things caught up to me and I had to keep pushing this back. So thank you everyone for being patient and understanding. -Cantor_

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

Naruto trudged alongside the older man for hours. He was staring at the ground, watching as one foot fell in place in front of the other, slowly taking him farther on this journey. In reality, Naruto wasn't really tired at all. The trip had been short, only taking two days, and Jiraiya seemed to have known exactly where he was headed the entire time. The problem was actually that Naruto was starving.

"Ramen..." he groaned.

Jiraiya watched the boy from the corner of his eye. "You can't be that hungry. Besides, don't you want something other than Ramen for once?"

Naruto stared at him. "Other than ramen?" you must be joking!

Jiraiya crouched down and put his arm around Naruto before leaning in conspiratorially. "Of course! In fact, I know something even better than ramen..."

"Better than ramen...?" He echoed. Naruto rubbed his chin thoughtfully, and Jiraiya could almost see the bubble form above his head with the different foods he was thinking of. Until Naruto answered.

"Nope. doubt it, Ero-sennin."

"What do you mean, you doubt it? Here! Let me show you," Jiraiya said, looking up at the different places along the street. "Ah, here it is. I can guarantee this place will have what I'm looking for. What your about to taste, my dear pupil, is called the drink of the gods."

Jiraiya led Naruto into a shabby looking building with a large bar up front and farther in the back were several dimly lit booths. The older man dragged the younger by the hand up to the bar before ordering some sake, and glancing around the room. Something the older man did—scouting out the room for potential inspiration.

His eyes widened when he found someone, and his grip tightened on Naruto's wrist. "There she is!" he gasped.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "You say that every time you see some 'inspiration', Ero-sennin."

Jiraiya frowned. "No, you idiot! Tsunade-hime! That's her!" He pointed over towards one of the booths in the back, where a rather well-endowed woman was currently sharing some sake with another young woman.

Naruto eyed both women. "But isn't she supposed to be old like you, Ero-sennin?"

"Well, Tsunade-hime uses a very advanced technique to make her appear younger...but don't tell her I said that. She still looks sexy either way. I'd peek on her." Jiraiya held both thumbs up with a wide grin, and a sparkle in his eye, and Naruto rolled his eyes again. While Gai assumed a similar pose whenever talking about the flames of youth, Jiraiya had his own pose for anytime he explained something about his pervertedness.

"Come on, let's go talk to her then," Naruto said, dragging Jiraiya this time.

"Wait—the sake!" Jiraiya hastily grabbed their sake from the bar and went with his pupil to the two women. He leaned down to whisper into Naruto's ear.

"Alright, now, remember what I told you about being a wingman, Naruto! This is part of your shinobi training, by me, the great Jiraiya!"

"Eh? What are you talking about, Ero-sennin? I don't listen to your weird lectures about women or peeking on them."

"What? But that's an important part of my training for you!" the older man exclaimed. "Well...never mind. Just remember to keep the dark haired one occupied while I'll seal the deal with Tsunade."

"Which deal are we talking about, exactly?" Naruto whispered back. "The Hokage deal, or something perverted your thinking of again?"

"Does it matter? Now, remember your role, Naruto! This is in-field training for you!" Jiraiya pushed him into the dark haired woman, who gasped and managed to catch him before he fell right into her chest.

"Tsunade-hime!" Jiraiya said loudly, getting the blond woman's attention away from his pupil, who was currently trying to convince Shizune that he wasn't trying anything perverted.

The blonde woman turned quickly to see Jiraiya standing there, with a big grin on his face. She eyed him up and down, and took in the fact that Naruto seemed to be with him.

"What a coincidence. I seem to be meeting a lot of old acquaintances today."

Jiraiya's eyes narrowed. "Orochimaru? What did he talk to you about?"

"Hmph. The old snake showed up, bragging about his fight with sensei."

"That's it?" Jiraiya eyed Tsunade carefully.

"Pretty much. I can't believe he actually attacked Konoha though. Not that I care about that hellhole of a village anyway."

Jiraiya sat down across from Tsunade, while Naruto sat across from Shizune. He put the sake he had originally ordered for himself and Naruto on the table and poured everyone a glass.

Naruto, since he'd never drank any liquor before, was looking at it oddly before sniffing it. His nose scrunched up at the barely noticeable odor.

"You sure that brat can drink that?" asked Tsunade, pointing at Naruto, who was now eyeing the sake.

Jiraiya laughed and slapped his pupil on the back. "Of course! He just needs to get used to it! But first, let me—"

Tsunade held up her hand. "Hang on Jiraiya," she said. She looked at Naruto. "What's your name, brat?"

"Uzumaki Naruto!"

"You're Jiraiya's student?"

"I guess so. Ero-sennin never really made it official."

Tsunade cocked an eyebrow and Shizune stifled a laugh. "Ero-sennin, you say?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, all the old fart does is peek in baths and try to do perverted things."

Tsunade nodded. "Sounds like him. But let me tell you about this one time, when he got caught accidentally peeking on the—"

"I think that's enough!" Jiraiya cut in. "The brat doesn't need to be mentally scarred like I was, after all."

"I'm sure." Tsunade agreed. She pulled out a deck of cards and shuffled them, slowly dealing them while she spoke. "So, first time drinking, huh, brat?"

Naruto nodded, and she smirked widely. "Well then, we need to introduce you to the wonders of sake, don't we?" she asked.

Jiraiya laughed loudly. "That's what I've been trying to tell him!"

Shizune just groaned and shook her head. "I can't believe you two; he's too young to be corrupted by both of you..."

She was ignored by the two sannin though as Tsunade leaned in and announced a drinking game. "Alright, here's the game. We'll keep it simple since its little Naruto-kun's first time. The person to win the first hand will choose how much you have to drink for the round. The loser then as to drink that amount. If you have to leave the table to go to the bathroom, you automatically lose a hand, and have to drink the losing amount, plus another drink when you get back." Tsunade's eyes twinkled mischievously as she spoke, and Naruto gulped apprehensively.

They had been playing for quite a while—even Shizune had joined in on the fun, when Tsunade, who by now was far drunker than any of them, looked over at Jiraiya blearily. "What are you here for, anyway?"

Jiraiya looked down at his cards. "Well, I'm sure since you ran into Orochimaru, then you already know about Sarutobi-sensei."

Tsunade nodded, going through her cards, and Jiraiya took a deep breath, already planning to break the question.

"Well, I'm here because the council wants you to become to Godaime Hokage, Tsunade"

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

She glanced up through her bangs at the smoking jounin. He was looking over her shinobi profile still, with a straight face. He really hadn't given anything away in the past five or so minutes. She didn't know what he thought of her. When she had approached him and his team, he had only glanced up and said he was expecting when she'd show up, and asked to see her shinobi profile.

That had been an issue to get. It seemed that in the absence of a Hokage, all of the Sandaime's aides had taken leave, and if a shinboi needed information now, they first had to seek the council, who would then just direct them to the Shinobi registration and identification department. Not only did this take significantly longer than simply asking the Hokage, who would have his aide flip through a few folders before pulling it out, it was nerve wracking and tedious. Still, Sakura had managed to bear through the waiting and the lines and the searching until she finally got her hands on the paper which Asuma-sensei was now looking over.

He looked over the paper at her. "Well, you seem to check out, no criminal activities or murders...no drugs...hm."

Sakura's eyes bulged as she got overexcited. "What! Of course not!"

He just chuckled. "Calm down, Sakura. I was just joking." He took a long drag from his cigarette before flicking the ash off the end and putting the cancer stick back into his mouth. "From this report, you seem to have gotten a decent amount of D ranks completed, and it seems even a B rank? Interesting. If I include the chuunin exams and the invasion, you've been through quite a bit for a rookie genin. Still, you're lacking on quite a bit of practical skills."

"Like what, sensei?"

"Well, it seems like Kakashi managed to teach you a tiny bit of chakra control, although you didn't seem to need much practice, since your reserves are a bit small. Anko seems to have taken that a bit farther, and she also improved a bit of your genjutsu, but even then, its stuff Kakashi should have already taught you, or probably even the academy."

Sakura looked a little abashed. "Anko said that she wasn't much a genjutsu person and could only teach me the basics...after that she just taught me water walking and that's kind of it. I only had a few days with her."

Asuma nodded. "It says as much in your profile. Given that you're probably more geared towards genjutsu or skills needing fine chakra control, you'd probably be more ideal for Kurenai, but since you don't have any scouting abilities, and you're more likely to be a liability on her team because of that, I think you made the right choice with team 10," he said. He frowned, thinking,_'Not to mention that fact that Kurenai has really wanted to teach Uzumaki since the team assignments.'_

Sakura smiled. "Hai, sensei. Does that mean you will allow me to join team 10?"

"I suppose so. Let me see what the team thinks though. Oi, guys!"

Shikamaru raised his head from where he had been lounging while looking at the clouds, while Chouji turned around, and so did Ino, who had been telling Chouji to stop eating so much just a moment ago. They all got up and walked over to Asuma, all the while watching Sakura.

"What's up, sensei?"

"What do you guys think of Sakura joining the team? Team 7 has been...um, disbanded I guess you could say, so each member has to look for other teams to join."

Shikamaru nodded thoughtfully, while Ino decided to voice her own concerns. "That would mean we'd have five people though, sensei. Besides, I'm not sure Forehead girl could handle the hard work we do."

"What hard work are you talking about? Shikamaru looks at the clouds or plays shogi with Asuma sensei, I watch, and you...well, you're you." Chouji finished lamely, not quite wanting to voice the fact that all Ino does is yell a lot.

Asuma hid his face in his hands, muttering, "I do train you guys...sometimes."

Ino huffed, and looked at Sakura, as though sizing her up. "Well, I suppose we could let you in, Forehead girl. I would rather have Sasuke-kun join though."

At the mention of Sasuke, Asuma's face darkened. "No. The Uchiha won't be joining our team, not after what he pulled in the Exams."

Shikamaru nodded thoughtfully again. "I guess a lot of people are angry over what he did to Lee."

Sakura was quick to jump in for Sasuke's sake. "He was just ding what he thought he neeed to do to win!"

Asuma turned to her quickly. "And you think that winning is more important than your companions?" he took a step closer to Sakura, leaning in menacingly. "I know for a fact, that despite all of his other failings as a teacher, Kakashi did drill home the message that 'those who abandon the rules are trash, but those who abandon their comrades are even worse than trash.' Didn't Sasuke break this rule?"

Sakura blanched, not being able to find a hole in this logic. In desperation, she turned to Ino. "Why aren't you defending him too?" she asked, confused.

Ino shrugged. "I like Sasuke-kun, but even I realize he did something wrong. Besides, he has to take whatever punishment's dealt out to him. What type of man would he be if he didn't? I wouldn't be able to respect a man who ran away from his problems."

Sakura's mouth worked soundlessly, as she tried to come up with a response to Ino. Asuma stepped in though and decided to nip the argument at the bud. "Alright, that's enough. Sakura, you're welcome to join team 10. Now, let's get back to our training. Shikamaru, Chouji, I want you two to...eh..." Asuma blanched as he noticed that Shikamaru and Chouji had both already resumed their positions from before Sakura had shown up. Shikamaru seemed to have already fallen asleep, even. Ino and Sakura had also gone off to the side and began arguing. _'So much for nipping that fight at the bud.'_

Asuma sighed and headed over to his Shogi board. He might as well try and come up with a new strategy to beat Shikamaru with. The kid was too good for his own good.

Unfortunately, it was around then that Asuma heard a loud crashing coming from the trees nearby. _'Please no,'_He thought, running to pick up his stuff and flee. His fears were confirmed when a loud "Dynamic-entry!" echoed through the training grounds, and Asuma was facing a large, bushy eyebrowed, green leotard wearing man, with overly shiny teeth.

"Asuma, my youthful students would like to challenge yours in a spar on this most youthful morning!"

As he spoke, his students quickly caught up to him, both of them panting and at the same time trying to act like they weren't members of Gai's team. Lee was nowhere to be seen. He was probably still in the hospital.

Gai watched with a frown as Shikamaru continued sleeping, and Chouji simply ate his chips. "Your team is acting most unyouthful, Asuma! Allow me to impart some flames of youth into them!"

And so Gai leapt forward at the genin, causing Ino and Sakura to scream, and Chouji to watch apprehensively with a single chip frozen in front of his mouth. Gai picked up Shikamaru and flung him towards Neji and Tenten before kicking Chouji's bags out of the boy's hand.

Neji took up a stance and waited for Shikamaru to land before attacking the shadow user and Chouji, while Tenten walked off towards Ino and Sakura.

Gai walked back to Asuma with a boisterous laugh. "Now our cute students are acting most youthful!" In a more serious voice, which many did not realize Gai possessed, the jounin added, "I thought you could use some help in getting your team to train a bit."

Asuma just shook his head. He already knew the outcome of these fights, but he decided that this training session would probably help motivate his team a bit. Hopefully. He winded at Sakura screaming while trying to dodge Tenten's kunai.

"I'm sorry about Lee, Gai. Is he still in the hospital?"

Gai's smile vanished, and he nodded solemnly. "Yes. The damage was extremely severe. Imagine how a log looks if you stood it up lengthwise, and pierced it straight through. Lee's arm was shredded by that chidori, bone and all. The reconstruction will be most difficult, and I can only hope Jiraiya-sama does in fact find Tsunade-sama soon, or else my Lee-kun will have to fight with one hand only. With his chakra deficit, and his reliance on taijutsu, that will be very difficult for him, and most unyouthful luck."

Asuma nodded. "He will pull through. Lee's uh..." Asuma lowered his voice here, hoping he wouldn't be overheard. This had to be said though, Gai was creeping him out with his seriousness! "...Lee's flames of youth burn brightly. I'm sure he will overcome whatever is handed to him."

Asuma looked over at Gai to see him still stony faced, but he saw a single tear slowly trickle down the side of his face before he blew up and hugged Asuma, making the man accidentally inhale way too much smoke, as well as some ash, and sending him into a coughing fit.

"Oh that was a most youthful thing of you to say, Asuma! My Lee-kun will of course overcome whatever has happened! His flames of youth burn brightly!"

Asuma awkwardly patted the other jounin on the back, trying to ignore how both of their teams had paused in their sparring to look over at him. _'Whatever self-respect I once had is now gone,'_Asuma thought.

"Hey, I told you. Just watch. Jiraiya-sama will bring back Tsunade-sama, and she'll heal Lee up real good. And once he's healed, Lee can have a rematch with that scumbag Uchiha brat. Just to show him that the last time was a fluke.

Gai stiffened in Asuma's arms, and he stood up straight, his stony expression back in place. "Hai. My student will settle his score with Uchiha Sasuke, and I will settle mine with Kakashi. He is no longer my rival. I will not forgive him, or his student."

Asuma nodded. He had expected as much from Gai, and nobody would hold it against him if he truly hated Kakashi now. Many jounins were disgusted with the cycloptic jounin as it was, and many agreed Gai had every right to hate him.

"Well...enough of that. Tell me Gai, have you ever played Shogi?"

Gai eyed the board. "That is some type of board game that involves strategy, is it not?"

Asuma nodded. "Do you want to play?"

Gai's smile returned. "Of course, Asuma! I will defeat you in Shogi or I will do 500 laps around Konoha blindfolded and on one hand!"

Asuma smiled, but inwardly, he was shaking. _'Oh no. I'm not Gai's new rival, am I?'_

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

Jiraiya, Naruto, and Shizune arrived upon a field that was torn up into bits, evidently by Tsunade's powerful kicks and punches. They hurried on together, following the trail of disaster, until they finally found Tsunade, facing off against Orochimaru and Kabuto.

Luckily, the fight hadn't gotten to out of hand yet, and Tsunade seemed to be in good health, if a little frustrated. She never liked not getting a clean hit on her opponent.

Orochimaru's flickered over to them. "Oh, jiraiya-kun, you've decided to join us, along with Tsunade's aide and the Kyuubi brat. It seems this fight might turn out to be a little fun after all."

Naruto let out a low growl, sending chills down Shizune's spine. It reminded her of the Kyuubi exactly. She looked at Naruto worriedly. She realized he could probably use the Kyuubi's power, but that didn't mean she wanted to see it.

If the others noticed, they gave no sign of it. Jiraiya took a step forward. "Well, I had hoped I'd never have to fight you again like this after the last time, Orochimaru, but it seems I have no choice. I won't make the same mistake I made back then—I'll finish it."

Kabuto's eyes widened, and he quickly called out to his master. "Orochimaru-sama!"

Orochimaru jumped back and offered his arm to Kabuto, who quickly took some of the blood from Orochimaru and wiped it across the snake tattoo on his forearm. Orochimaru, with Kabuto's help, completed the Kuchiyose no jutsu, to call out Manda.

"Why have you summoned me, Orochimaru?" Manda demanded. He looked over and saw Tsunade and Jiraiya. "For these idiots? You are weak if you could not handle them yourself, Orochimaru."

Jiraiya smirked and nodded to Tsunade, as both of them quickly bit their own thumbs and called out their own respective summons, Gamabunta the toad boss, and Katsuya, the slug queen.

"Oh? so I get a chance to settle the score with that bastard snake then?" Gamabunta asked, once he took in the situation.

Manda hissed and lunged towards the toad, who barely jumped in time. Katsuya spit out some sort of acid at Manda, but just missed him as he slithered away. The fight between the summons had gotten off to a quick start, and Naruto suddenly felt very small and insignificant in the midst of such a fight.

Shizune grabbed his arm. "Naruto-kun, we have to get to safety, now!"

She began to lead him away, but Kabuto quickly jumped in front. "Oh? I don't think I can let either of you leave just yet."

"Doku Gasu!" Shizune shouted, expelling a huge cloud of poison gas. "Run, Naruto!"

Unfortunately for her, or perhaps fortunately, Naruto didn't listen. Kabuto had charged through the poison gas and was about to sever a large artery with his chakra scalpels, had it not been for Naruto quickly blasting him with a gust of wind, sending him sliding back along the ground.

Shizune shot him a grateful look, and wisely decided not to underestimate Naruto's usefulness.

Naruto used the poison gas as a cover to cast a genjutsu over Kabuto, making him believe his chakra was depleting faster. It was a barely noticeable effect, but over time the effect would build up, and eventually Kabuto would think he was out of chakra when he actually had close to a third of his total still in his reserves.

Luckily, Kabuto didn't seem to notice, and he still went towards Shizune, ignoring Naruto's presence. He was only a genin anyway, what could he do?

Shizune managed to fight him off with senbon and matched him blow for blow in taijutsu, each of them barely missing eachother with their chakra scalpels.

Naruto turned the tide though, going through a couple hand seals, he used the doton jutsu which he normally used to build protective walls around himself, and instead had it build up quick and slam into Kabuto's stomach. Shizune used the opportunity to quickly slice the tendons in his arms and legs, and held a kunai at his neck.

"Thank you, Naruto-kun," she said, breathing heavy. She looked at Kabuto, who seemed subdued for now. "Don't try anything and I won't have to kill you," she warned.

both of them turned to look at the fight between the sannin for a moment. Orochimaru seemed to be fairing amazingly well. Jiraiya had been drugged the night before by Tsunade, and was only now just getting used to the effects. Orochimaru had no arms, and Tsunade was both fighting through her fear of blood and probably a mild hangover. Odd how all of this balanced them out. If any one of them didn't have a handicap, the fight would be over in seconds.

Orochimaru barely fended off jiraiya with his sword before he had to avoid Tsunade's fist, and Manda himself was fairing similarly, slipping away from Gamabunta's and Katsuya's attacks just in the nick of time.

"They seem pertty evenly matched," Naruto commented. Shizune nodded along side him.

Behind them, they suddenly heard a slight chuckle, and Shizune gasped in pain. Naruto turned to see Kabuto getting up from where he was before.

"What? How are you moving again?" shizune gasped out before coughign up blood—alot of it.

"Shizune!" Naruto yelled, seeing Kabuto bring his chakra scalpel down in a slashing motion.

He stepped in front of it to block it—not knowing what else to do. Luckily, the fox inside him immediately set to work healing his body. Shizune wasn't so luckily. She was clutching her chest and desperately trying to heal herself.

Kabuto pushed his glasses up. "hm. So you plan on fighting me now, Naruto-kun? You got lucky befor, since I was more concerned with Shizune. This time though, I can focus on just you."

Naruto smirked before making a clone. "Try me," he said, going through a jutsu along with his clone.

One cast the doton jutsu he used earlier, only wider, and behind Kabuto, while the original used Kaze no Yaiba and charged at Kabuto. "Chakra scalpels are useless against wind!" he yelled when Kabuto tried to block.

It was true too. Naruto's hand met Kabuto's, and there was an intense pain in Naruto's hand before it ended abruptly, and his Kaze no Yaiba sliced through Kabuto's hand. The man screamed and held his hand against his stomach, before Naruto turned and kicked him, hard, into the wall behind him. The clone quickly went up and held Kabuto there while Naruto's hand healed, once again courtesy of the fox. Then, he formed a rasengan.

"Rasengan!" he yelled, slamming it into Kabuto's stomach. Just to make sure the man knew what technique he used to kill him.

Kabuto convulsed violently against the wall before finally breaking threw it, and landing a good thirty feet away, where he barely held onto consciousness. Naruto turned back to Shizune, who had healed herself, but was too exhausted to do much other than nod to let him know she was okay.

Now, positive that Kabuto wouldn't be getting up anytime soon, both of them turned to watch the Sannin fight, and Naruto's eyes had just a moment to widen in shock as Orochimaru's sword stabbed through his stomach.

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Team 8 was in the middle of their training session for the day, much like the other teams. They'd already completed most of the exercises that Kurenai-sensei had made them go through, and then she had told them that they should take turns sparring to improve their taijutsu.

Kurenai had never really been able to help them too much with their taijutsu, but she had a firm belief that they should practice their clan styles in the spars, and after a few turns of just taijutsu, they could add in some ninjutsu or genjutsu to make it interesting.

Kurenai had set Kiba against Shino before heading off with Hinata for a similar spar. Kiba grinned viciously at the bug user before getting into his stance. He had a bit of a score to settle with his team mate.

Kiba dodged to the left to avoid Shino's fist. He smirked. He usually had the upper hand in these fights. Shino was simple not built for taijutsu, and Hinata, although her clan was very geared towards taijutsu, she wasn't very proficient with it, making him the powerhouse on this time. He liked being the alpha dog.

He jumped towards Shino, throwing a strong punch to his side while Akamaru attacked from the other, forcing Shino to nearly fall backwards as he tried to dodge. He went with the motion though and used it to kick high at Kiba's chin. There was a sharp crack and Kiba jumped back out of reflex from the pain that shot through his mouth.

He took his hand away from his lip to see it bleeding badly. His lip had been smashed into his teeth and jawline, making it slit down the middle.

Shino raised an eyebrow at Kiba's glare and got back into a stance silently. Kiba smirked—or would've, if his damn lip didn't protest it so badly. Shino had just upped the ante, so to speak. And Kiba would make sure that this spar wouldn't end until the bug user had a similar injury.

"Alright, bug-boy. You asked for it!" Kiba crouched down and used his beast clone technique. He always won with this technique.

Shino spoke up in his normal stoic voice. "We shouldn't be using our ninjutsu at first."

Kiba rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Bug-boy, you can handle it. I'm tired of fighting like a damn pansy anyway."

He ran at Shino again, fired up for this, but his thoughts were on other things. He had noticed it, finally. Hinata was sure getting close to Shino, and Shino didn't seem to care at all that Kiba already staked his claim on the hyuuga girl. Hell, even Naruto had backed off. _Keh, weakling Naruto_. Shino didn't seem to understand though, and Kiba would make sure he did by the end of this fight.

Hinata was his girl. She should be concerned about him, not Shino.

Kiba's fist connected with Shino's face, sending the kid to the ground. "What's so special about you anyway? You use BUGS!"

Shino shook his head and got back up into position. "I don't know what you're talking about." he said.

Kiba snorted. "You know damn well what I'm talking about!" He cast a significant glance over towards where Hinata and Kurenai were sparing while he walked closer to the bug user. Shino just raised his eyebrows, ignoring the fact that Kiba's nose was nearly touching his.

"I don't understand your concern. There is nothing there," Shino said, referring to the space between him and Hinata.

"Don't fuck with me!" Kiba grabbed Shino's jacket while Akamaru bit him on the leg, and he hit him again before pulling on the jacket to get another punch it. Shino's nose gave a satisfying crunch before he let him fall back again from the force of his punch. While he fell, Kiba gave a kick on the spot Akamaru had bit—just to drive the point home.

He picked Shino up and kneed him in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. Kiba went down to him and began to whisper in his ear. "I'm serious. You know how I feel about Hinata, and I'm really getting angry now that you're meddling. Back the fuck off."

Kiba threw Shino down, who gasped out in the pain, and Hinata and Kurenai turned to see what was happening. Both of them ran over, shooting Kiba a furious look. He shrugged. "He'll be fine." _'He needed to learn his place though'_He thought.

Kurenai didn't seem to think so though, and stalked over to him quickly. "What is wrong with you, Kiba! Is this what you consider a friendly spar?"

Kibaa turned around and snarled. "We're ninja! Shino should be able to handle that!"

"That was supposed to be a SPAR, not a real fight!" Kurenai yelled back. Behind her, Hinata tried to help Shino stop the blood flowing from his broken nose.

Kiba just started to walk away. He waved behind him. "Whatever, I'm out of here," he said.

Kurenai was in front of him in a second though, glaring furiously at him. He took an involuntary step back from the killing intent she radiated.

"Inuzuka Kiba. I do not know what possessed you to act like this towards your_ teammates_," she seethed, "But rest assured that I will be following up on this incident after our team practice. I'm going to be heading to both Tsume as well as the Council about your actions."

Kiba nodded and walked off. Still, he wanted to put in the last word. "Fuck this," he said.

Kurenai turned towards Hinata and Shino. Hinata was worrying over Shino's injuries and trying to help him up off the ground. "Let's get him to the hospital, Hinata."

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Anko ignored the moans coming from behind various cell doors as she walked alongside her supervisor in Konoha's Center of Inquiry. Also known as Department of Interrogation, it was where Anko usually worked. When Anko had first been abandoned by Orochimaru, most of Konoha thought she was a spy left behind by Orochimaru, or that she was tainted by the man—the cursed seal had especially lent some credibility to that belief. Anko had been heavily ostracized, and that was why she had eventually stopped taking many missions unless they were without a team, and instead she found work interrogating Konoha's prisoners for information on enemy movements and encampments, or any other vital information. This way, she could choose when she wanted to stop working and mix with the village. It gave her some control, and let her feel a little more comfortable with her situation.

Here, she only had one superior: the man she was now talking to, Morino Ibiki. People working in their branch often argued over who was scarier, Ibiki, or Anko. When it came down to it though, it was whoever you ended up talking to first. If you knew Ibiki first, he would be the one you were ultimately more scared of, if you talked to Anko first, she was.

Ibiki checked the lock on one of the cell doors as he spoke. "So I hear you helped train Uzumaki a bit?"

Anko nodded absently, peering into a cell on the other side of the hall they were walking through. "Yep. Kure-chan got me interested, and I ended up teaching him some taijutsu, and helping out a bit with other things."

Ibiki smirked. "You? Helping someone? I didn't know that was possible."

Anko elbowed Ibiki in the side. "I can help people out when I feel like it. If anyone deserves some help, its Naruto-kun. Now _you,_ you I can't see ever helping someone"

Ibiki faked a look of shock. "I'm hurt, Anko. I've helped people out before. I actually helped Uzumaki out once before."

Anko looked at him questioningly. "Yeah? When did that happen?"

"Well, you know about it actually. You remember the orphanage incident?"

Anko's eyes widened in surprise. "You? Really?"

Ibiki nodded. "Yeah, I had to chase the bastards away and carry him to the hospital. Not only that, I had to find a doctor I knew personally before I handed him over—I didn't want someone 'finishing the job', so to speak."

Anko nodded. "You think Naruto-kun remembers you? I was going to ask you to actually help me train him a bit, but he ended up finding Jiraiya-sama instead."

Ibiki opened the door at the end of the hall for them both, before they headed up a set of stairs which would take them to the ground level—and from there they'd head to their respective homes. "Oh? That would have been interesting, to train him. But Jiraiya-sama is definitely a better sensei than I could ever be. And did you just call him Naruto-_kun_? I think I've heard you call him that twice now."

Anko smirked and fluttered her eyelashes while she clasped her hands together. "Oh but surely you know that Naruto-kun and I are involved now?"

Ibiki smirked. "Um, no, but somehow that seems like it suits you. He's what? 5 years younger than you?"

Anko counted with her fingers. "Hm. Guess so. Never really thought about it. Kure-chan keeps complaining about how he's too young though, but if you think about it...when he's my age, I'll be..." She started counted with her fingers again. Math was never her strong point, she usually neededto write in down on paper for her to be able to think with numbers. "23. That's not so bad, for an 18 year old to be with a 23 year old."

Ibiki nodded. "I suppose, but don't you think Kurenai-san is concerned with the age difference, but more of how old Naruto is? I mean, I doubt she wants you to be considered a cradle-robber."

They had reached the front door to their department. Anko took hold of the door handle, but stopped to consider his question.

Anko shook her head. "I guess so, but she's every big a cradle-robber as I am," she said with a smirk.

Ibiki's jaw fell open. It was a rare sight to see Ibiki shocked. "What?"

Anko patted him on the shoulder before heading home. The entire time she had a huge smile on her face, at times chuckling and startling people. She probably seemed kind of crazy to people who saw her. She didn't care though; the look on Ibiki's face was priceless. She wasn't worried about him telling anyone either. Ibiki didn't exactly gossip. He was more tight-lipped than anyone she knew. Not that she cared if he did tell anyone, but Kurenai might.

She finally reached her apartment building and started fumbling with her keys. She got to her door just as she pulled it out, and she looked up, only to have her cheerfulness evaporate completely.

"Eviction notice?" she muttered, reading the note on the door aloud.

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Kurenai flopped down on her couch while she waited for the water to come to a boil for her tea. Today had been tiring for her.

When she had first decided to become a jounin sensei, she hadn't truly stopped to think just how difficult the task of teaching three genin could be. Any problem with one member could make the entire team suffer. Already, team 7 was a failed team because of Uchiha Sasuke's behavior. _'Well...no, thats not right. Kakashi's teaching is at fault as well, and so is that Haruno girl's behavior. She just idolized the Uchiha. I guess the only genin who doesn't have a true fault on team 7 is Naruto-kun'._Funny how that worked out. Naruto had a life every bit as tough as Sasuke's—in some ways more difficult, but he turned out just fine, considering.

So maybe team 7 wasn't the best example of the 'one member destroy's the entire team' idea. Kurenai got up as the kettle began whistling. Well, her own team wasn't perfect either. Entirely made up of clan heirs, you'd think it would function very well; every member had similar backgrounds, they all had a similar purpose in the team, none of them were too much better or worse than the other. But it seems that Kiba still managed to stir up trouble, and Kurenai couldn't help but get angry at the whole idea.

The brat seemed to have some sort of crush on Hinata, but he obviously had no idea what he was doing. Or perhaps more accurately, he thought he knew what he was doing, but in actually, he was just pushing any chance he had with Hinata away. The Hyuuga girl actually seemed to be closer to Shino, and Kurenai didn't quite know where that relationship was going. Hinata could pretty much be a self-proclaimed Naruto stalker. The girl was extremely infatuated with the Uzumaki brat. So then what was her relationship with Shino?

It could be simply platonic, or perhaps something else. Shino was the difficulty there—he was hard to read at all. Kurenai snorted; well the boy did have almost his entire body covered. For a moment she entertained the idea that Shino actually had really had no control over his facial expressions, and the only reason he seemed stoic was because you couldn't see them.

Kurenai poured some water into the cup and let the tea steep for a while. _Back to the Kiba problem_. He really wasn't cooperating or functioning well in the team. Kurenai knew she didn't want another team 7 to happen with her team. She had to get a solid unit, and Kiba in his current actions, couldn't fit in. She'd have to talk to Tsume about Kiba's fight earlier. Maybe he'd knock some sense into him. If not...well, Kurenai had already considered going to the council about removing Kiba from her team if he continued causing problems.

She took a sip of her tea before deciding to add a little bit of honey. She needed the sweetness right now. Kiba was like a gloomy cloud following her, and the one ray of sunshine was the thought that with all of the genin on team 7 needing teams, Kurenai was pretty sure Naruto would come to her. She already knew that the Haruno girl had went to Asuma. Kurenai wouldn't have even accepted the girl into team 8. And for Naruto to go to Gai...well, Kurenai was just pretty sure that he wouldn't do that. She was definitely a better choice than Gai, right?

Kurenai was about to sit back down on the couch for some relaxation when a few loud knocks came from the front door. She put the cup down on the small coffee table and hurried towards the front of the house to open the door.

"Hey, Kure-chan. I kind of got kicked out of my place. I was wondering if you got any room for lil ol' me to crash for a while?"

Kurenai stared back into Anko's eyes for a moment, still in a daze. The purple haired jounin was carrying a couple large bags—evidently all of Anko's important possessions. Anko shifted on her feet for a few moments before hanging her head and turning around.

"N-never mind, Kurenai... I'll just find a hotel, alright?" she said, beginning to walk away. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Wait, Anko." Kurenai smiled and opened the door wider when Anko turned around hopefully. "Come on in. You want some tea?"

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**End of CHAPTER 15**

Hope you enjoyed the chapter! _Not to pressure you or anything,__**but the review button is right below**__**here**_...yep, move your mouse slowly...no, no! What are you doing? Not the X in the upper right! The review button on the bottom left! NOOOOO!

Hmmm so, Tsunade has been found, and Naruto has lost his drinking v-card? What's this? Drinking games with Tsunade-hime and Shizune? I just thought it would be funny for both of the 'good' sannin to try and corrupt Naruto with their vices—women, alcohol, and gambling. And Anko's crashing at Kurenai's house! Sleepover! Hm...genin team issues...and oh, yeah, Naruto got stabbed. _In the face_.

No, not really. Just in the stomach...more on naruto's stabbing next chapter.


	16. Team Arrangements

Disclaimer– "There is no way of writing well and also of writing easily." -Anthony Trollope

The Maelstrom of Konoha**-1.16**

**The Tale of a Young Boy's Ascent into the Legends**

_Hey everyone. Um, I had a talk with a reader about whether I would be creating 'book 2' as its own fiction, or if I would just be adding it onto this current one. I originally thought I'd make it a separate story, but my conversation with this reader brought up a good point, and I'm now wondering which is better. So please everyone go to my profile and do the 'poll' and decide which you prefer. Thanks. -Cantor_

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It had been a very taxing trip, and Naruto was glad to finally get back to Konoha. All things considered, the mission had turned out very well for Jiraiya and Naruto. They had little trouble actually finding Tsunade, and had managed to not only survive their encounter with Orochimaru relatively unscathed, but also hindered the Snake sannin's plans.

Naruto glanced over at the slug sannin as Shizune helped her get ready for the coronation. The four of them, Shizune, Jiraiya, Naruto, and Shizune were all at the top of the Hokage tower, as well as the various council members and the Hokage's advisors.

Tsunade cast a glance over in naruto's direction and offered a small smile. it was full of different emotions—nervousness, happiness, assuredness, but the one that really struck Naruto the most was the kindness. Then again, perhaps just a strong liking for him described it more aptly. After the encounter with Orochimaru, Tsunade had begun to respect the blond genin and, on their trip back to Konoha, that respect gradually grew into a very protective attitude.

He thought back to the fight he had been through.

Orochimaru smirked as Naruto stared at him, dumbfounded, gripping the blade protruding from his stomach. His dark blood began running down the blade towards Orochimaru, whose long tongue snaked out and liked the blood carefully off the blade.

Suddenl,y Orochimaru stood and ripped the blade right out of Naruto, and the boy gave one gurgling gasp as he hunched over from the pain, his momentary shock fading.

Orochimaru laughed in satisfaction. "To think that here, I end the Kyuubi, and the Sannin on the same day!"

And just as Orochimaru was about to swing his kusanagi down and behead Naruto, Tsunade came and Orochimaru had to turn quickly and slice at Tsunade instead. Behind them, Jiraiya was dealing with a small summon of Orochimara.

Orochimaru's sword sliced right across Tsunade, who stared at the wound for a moment, shaking from the huge amount of blood. Inwardly, she cursed. Or would have, had her thought process not suddenly shut down at the sight of blood in fright.

"I did not want to kill you before Tsunade, but you did not go along with my plans. It is a pity that the sannin will end here."

Shizune got up and desperately tried to run to stop Orochimaru, ignoring the fact that she still hadn't managed to heal the internal damage Kabuto had done to her. But instead, she stopped, feeling a huge amount of killing intent radiating off of Naruto.

Orochimaru felt it too and looked down to see Naruto's blue eyes replaced with dark red, and his face becoming more feral. His stomach wound was gradually healing up. "Ah, so this is the Kyuubi's power..." Orochimaru muttered, licking his lips. "Wonderful...it has been awhile."

Naruto's head snapped up and he sent his full amount of killing intent at the snake bastard, who matched it with his own and jumped back. "I'll kill you!" Naruto snarled.

Kyuubi's chakra enveloped Naruto, and he welcomed the warm ecstasy. "Shoushin no jutsu! (Immolation no jutsu!)" His entire body was covered with flames, and Orochimaru's smirk widened at the display of power—but Naruto wasn't done yet. "Beruserkeru no jutsu!"

Nauto swept his left leg forward into the ground, while he coated it with chakra. The force of his kick cracked the earth and sent up three large chunks of earth into the air, which he then kicked at Orochimaru, sending the earthen missiles to collide with him.

The snake man dodged the first two, but the third chuck hit him squarely in the chest, and he grunted as it exploding in a shower of dirt and sent him flying backwards. He recovered quickly though and managed to block any follow up attack Naruto made—or just simple dodge them. Never once did he bother to attack though, no did his grin fade. He jumped back to catch his breath for a moment as he eyed Naruto.

"My my, such power, but you haven't mastered it at all, Naruto-kun. The Kyuubi has been given a weak container. You see? A weak container wastes the bijuu's power. That is why I only pick the strongest as my own containers. That is also why I am stronger than you two will ever be."

Inside his head, Kyuubi was screaming. **"What are you doing? Kill him! NOW! Do not let that snake insult me and live! Nobody is stronger than I am!"**

Naruto growled. "Shut up!" He quickly created a strong gust of wind to blast the fire from his body towards the snake man. Orochimaru smirked and allowed the fire to hit him, and he screamed loudly, but when the fire left, he appeared unharmed.

"If you ever wish to be able to beat me, you must become much stronger, Naruto-kun."

Behind him, Shizune had managed to heal herself and was slowly healing Tsunade. Jiraiya had finished off Orochimaru's summon as well, and jumped in front of Naruto. Once he appeared, and was ready to fight, Orochimaru seemed to second guess his ability to fight both Naruto and Jiraiya and a soon to be healed Tsunade at the same time. Although he hadn't shown it, blocking or avoiding all of Naruto's blows had been tiring.

He shunshined over to Kabuto, who seemed nearly dead, and quickly fled by sinking into the ground.

Naruto woke up from his daydream when Tsunade tapped him on the shoulder, looking at him carefully. "Let's go," she said, before nodding to everyone in the room and leading the small delegation through the door outside, onto a balcony that overlooked Konoha.

Tsunade waited while Jiraiya walked up to the balcony to address the cheering crowd below. It was considered an honor to be the one to announce the next Hokage, and Tsunade for some reason had chosen him. He, although a pervert, was not a disrespectful person, and he had agreed all too happily to introduce Tsunade to the people.

"People of Konoha!" he shouted, raising both of his hands outwards. The cheering had at first skyrocketed when Jiraiya appeared, and it was several moments before it calmed down enough for jiraiya to continue speaking.

"Today is a historic day. Today is the first day of leadership under the Godaime Hokage, whom will help rebuild Konoha from its recent losses, restoring it to its former strength and glory. I give you, my former team mate and beautiful kunoichi, Tsunade!"

The crowd roared, and Jiraiya turned around to smirk at Tsunade, before he approached her and embraced her in a tight hug. "You'll make a fine Hokage, Tsunade-hime" he said, kissing her on the cheek.

Tsunade growled a warning to not try anything perverted, and Jiraiya just laughed it off before taking Tsunade by the hand and leader her to the edge of the balcony to address the crowd. Nobody but Naruto seemed to notice Tsunade's blush. He filed it away for future thinking though and stood straight when he heard Tsunade begin her speech, and to give credit to both him and Jiraiya for inspiring her to come and be the next Hokage.

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Kurenai waited patiently at the gate to the Inuzuka compound. A single guard stood in front of the gate, barring her entrance. A second guard had been there moments before, but he was currently talking to Tsume, Kiba's mother, and the current clan head of the Inuzuka clan, about allowing her an audience.

Moments later, the guard came back out and held the gate open for her. "Tsume will see you now."

Kurenia nodded in thanks and went through the gate with the guard, who led her through the compound. She was surprised at how well kept it was. Frankly, she had expected it to be a little more unkempt, especially considering that there were dogs wandering all over.

She was finally taken to a large office and asked to be seated. The guard left her, and Kurenai spent a few moments inspecting her surroundings while she waited for Tsume. In front of her was a large desk with stationary and other writing utensils, and other things that might be expected. Behind the desk, lined up along the wall were several bookcases, and in them was a huge assortment of books and scrolls. Every topic that you'd expect to see on in Inuzuka bookshelf was covered; ranging from things such as managing finances and dog care, veterinary information, and, of course, ninja techniques.

The door behind her opened and Tsume walked in and sat behind the desk. "How can I help you, Kurenai-san?"

Kurenai nodded in greeting while taking a deep breath. She was worried about how this would go. It wasn't every day that you told a mother that you didn't want to teach her son anymore.

"Tsume-san, I would first like to ask that you not be offended by what i'm about to say, and that I have considered, and tried, a few other alternatives before coming to this decision."

Tsume nodded. "Fair enough, but I can't promise not to be offended. I'll keep in mind your reluctance, however. Now, spit it out."

Kurenai gave a brief smile. Of course an Inuzuka would want to get business over with quickly. 'Spit it out' were never words you'd hear from any other clan head. "Well, this is concerning Kiba, who I have come to realize is not getting along well with his team mates."

Tsume snorted. "Just because he has a little bit of a rivalry—"

"No, this isn't a rivalry," Kurenai interrupted. "He might consider it a rivalry for Hinata's affections, but it is more than that. Kiba has been rude and inconsiderate to Hinata feelings, and I'm sure he objectifies her. As for Shino, Kiba seems to have picked out him as a rival for Hinata, but as far as I can tell, Shino isn't even trying to win Hinata over. It is more Kiba pushing Hinata towards Shino than anything else. On top of that, Kiba has become increasingly temperamental, even going so far as to hurt his team mate."

"And what do you want me to do about it?"

"I want to remove Kiba from team 8."

Tsume's face darkened. "Absolutely not."

Kurenai shook her head. "I will not teach him, Tsume-san. After seeing Kakashi's mistakes, and the following problems with team 7, I will not have the same thing repeat itself with team 8. Forgive me, but I have already asked Tsunade-sama about this, and since she is new to the village and unbiased, she has already agreed that if necessary, I will not need your approval."

Tsume jerked back as though she was slapped, before he eyes narrowed. 'Then why did you come here to tell me all this?"

"Because I would rather have you understand my reasons and approve of them than forcing your hand. However, I have already made it clear to you that one way or another, I will not be teaching Kiba any longer."

There was every long silence between the two women, as each began studying the walls of the room. Kurenai was determined to not leave until Tsume acknowledged her decision however. And it was a full five minutes of silence between the two women until finally Tsume sighed, looking down at her desk.

"I've always known that Kiba's attitude would come back and bite him one day. And after the whole debacle that was team 7, I can understand why you're feeling so apprehensive about the incident on your team. I do not hold anything against you for this decision Kurenai, however, I am not happy about it."

Kurenai nodded, getting out of her chair and bowing, before turning and leaving the room. It wasn't until she was completely out of the Inuzuki compound that Kurenai allowed herself a smile.

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

Sakura was lost in her own little world. She did have a lot on her mind after all. The recent arrival of Tsunade-sama had shaken Konoha a lot, and with the new Hokage now calling the shots, the village seemed to gradually be pulling itself back into some semblance of order. Sasuke and Lee had been healed right away as well, and Lee's arm, although significantly weaker than it had been before, since the healed muscles needed to be developed all over again, was making a great comeback. Sakura was more concerned about Sasuke though. Even though she had seen him as often as possible while he was in the hospital, Sasuke still hadn't made any attempt to speak to her after he was released.

Sakura sighed and realized she could only hope that her crush would notice her soon. It seemed like he only cared about people who were useful to him though, and not about love.

On top of all of this, Sakura now had to adjust to her new team with Asuma-sense, Shikamaru, Chouji, and Ino. Shikamaru simply ignored her for the most part, as did Chouji. They were friendly and all, but they really didn't have much to talk to her about. They had never been on friendly terms. Ino was a different story. It seemed that Sakura and Ino always found something to argue about, and it really was starting to get on her nerves. Still, Sakura enjoyed the friendship that she was slowly renewing with Ino. The fact that Ino seemed to have lost some interest in Sasuke had definitely helped with that.

"Sakura-san, your beauty is more astounding every time I see you. Will you go on a date with me?"

Sakura was brought out of her thoughts by the voice, and she looked to her side to see that Lee had assumed his 'nice guy' pose, and was smiling brightly at her. She sighed and shook her head.

"Um, no, Lee. I've told you before, I'm not interested."

If anything, Lee's eyes only grew more determined, and he smashed his fist into his palm. "Yosh! Then I will continue training until my flames of youth burn so brightly that Sakura-san will finally notice me!"

Not too far behind him, Tenten groaned loudly as she threw kunai at Neji, who was blocking them all with ease. "You're never going to get her, Lee. Especially not by doing that."

Lee shook his head. "You are wrong, Tenten-chan! Gai-sensei has said this will work!" Lee turned to look over at Gai, who was examining a shogi board between him and Asuma.

"Isn't that right, Gai-sensei?"

Gai looked up and flashed his own 'nice guy pose'. "Of course, my adorable student! Nobody can resist the flames of youth!"

Sakura gritted her teeth and tried to ignore the two and their conversation about winning her over with their stupid flames of youth. Every training session had been like this ever since Lee had been healed.

It had been alright when it was just Gai who brought Tenten and Neji for joint team practices. Gai seemed to have some sort of obsession with Asuma-sensei, and so he always showed up to try and beat the smoking jounin at a game of shogi now. When Lee came though, he and Gai would go off on huge tangents, and it eventually became unbearable.

"Will you two SHUT UP?" she screamed.

The two looked at her with shocked faces before Gai leaned over and whispered loudly to Lee "She acts most unyouthful at times, my adorable student. You have a great amount of work ahead of you."

Lee nodded. "Yosh! If I cannot make Sakura more youthful by the end of the day then I will..."

Everyone tuned out Lee's growing list of chores while Asuma coughed and told them all get back to practicing. Lee immediately yelled out that he wanted to train with Sakura, who didn't even bother to hide her groan, but she was saved when Asuma held up his hand, forestalling Lee.

"No, I don't think we should be doing the spars today. Now...let's see. For my team, I know it was originally created with just the Ino-Shika-Cho combination in mind, but with the addition of Sakura we still need to work you into our general strategy. Why don't you four head off to work on that for the morning? Then after that we can have a spar against Gai's team."

Gai nodded along with Asuma. "Excellent thinking, my rival! As for my team, we will have our normal practice! 20 laps around Konoha!"

Neji and Tenten both blanched, while Lee's face lit up. "Nice, Gai-sensei!"  
Gai stood up with a hearty and was about to run off, when they were interrupted by Kiba walking into the camp.

Asuma and Gai both looked over. Kiba smirked at both and them and gave a cocky wave, while Akamaru just barked. "Hey!"

"Hi, Kiba. What's up?"

Kiba seemed unwilling to make eye contact with him. "Well, I've kind of been kicked off of team 8."

Asuma's eyes narrowed. "Oh? What for?"

Kiba shrugged. "Iunno. Just different stuff."

Gai decided to put his two cents in. "Kurenai-san does not make such decisions without a good reason!"

Kiba was really trying to avoid looking at them now. "Um, well, yeah. I kind of got angry at my team mate Shino and went overboard," he explained. Trying to forestall any more questions from the two jounin, he went on quickly. "But what I really want to know is if either of you got a spot for me on your team?"

Asuma shook his head. "Sorry Kiba, but since team 7 was disbanded I already took Sakura into team 10."

Gai, on the other hand, looked thoughtful. "I may have a spot for you, Kiba! Let me check with my adorable students first though!"

Gai turned around around to look at his three students, and he noticed the look of pure anger on Tenten's face. Lee was also frowning, while even Neji, who was normally very stoic, seemed to be glaring at the Inuzuka. They all shook their heads.

The jounin nodded. "I see. Why do you not want this boy on our hard working team?"

"He is most unyouthful, Gai-sensei!" Lee explained. And for once, Tenten and Neji nodded along with this type of statement—but they quickly caught themselves.

"Then we just need to inspire his flames of youth!" Gai shouted, while everyone else sweat dropped.

That was when Neji stepped in. "I refuse. I won't be on a team with him." Alongside him, Tenten and Lee were both nodding.

Kiba snorted. "Are you guys still holding a grudge from the forest of death? Come on, your team still made it to the prelims, didn't it?"

Gai nodded in understanding. "I see. Everyone is being most unyouthful! Lee, Neji, Tenten, I will not allow you to act like this!"

Lee teared up, apologizing profusely for being unyouthful. Gai just spoke over him though and turned back to Kiba. "Kiba-kun, I will allow you to join team Gai, and I promise to make your flames of youth burn most brightly!"

Kiba sweat-dropped. "Um, thanks."

Asuma just shook his head. Kiba didn't know what he had just gotten himself into. But if any sensei would break Kiba of his attitude, it would be Gai. Of course, whether Kiba would be sane afterwards remains to be seen. Then again... Tenten and Neji seemed to be resisting Gai's influence pretty well. It would be interesting either way to see how Team Gai turned out after this.

It wasn't logn afterwards that they had a second visitor though.

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

Sasuke hurried towards the training grounds that he knew the various teams trained at. Tsunade, the new Hokage apparently, had arrived and managed to heal him up considerably faster than any of the other nins could. It seemed her reputation as a medic nin was well deserved.

The Uchiha had more pressing concerns though, mainly his new team. Tsunade had confirmed that Kakashi was indeed removed as a team sensei and that team 7 truly was disbanded. He clenched his fists. Kakashi was obviously the best choice as a sensei for him, since he also had experience with the Sharingan. Not that Sasuke really thought he needed help with his own doujutsu, but he would be willing to admit that there was the possibility that Kakashi might know something useful that Sasuke would otherwise overlook.

Tsunade's assistant, Shizune, had informed him that Sakura had already found her new squad, under Asuma-sensei. That just left him the choices of Kurenai-sensei or Gai-sensei, or waiting for a new genin squad to be formed.

Right now, Sasuke was heading towards where he had found out Gai brought his team to train, along with team 10. He hurried along the small paved path that lead to the training groudns until he cound faintly hear cries of 'Flames of youth'. He shuddered, realizing exactly who he was going to be asking to teach him. He somewhat realized that his chances of being on Gai's team were slim to none, especially if Gai bore the grudge Kakashi said he did.

Still, Sasuke was pretty sure that Gai was stronger than Kurenai, especially if he could train some dobe like Lee to be that strong. And that type of training was exactly what Sasuke needed so he could beat Itachi.

He slowed to a walk when he finally reached the training grounds, and saw Asuma there, as well as Gai, Neji, Tenten, Lee, and Kiba. They all looked at him when he walked into the training grounds, makign him pause for a moment, but he shrugged and continued on his path, right up to Gai.

"Gai-sensei," he said, greeting the older man.

Gai said nothing, but just stared down at Sasuke with a stony face.

"I'm sure you realize why I am here?"

Gai ignored him and turned back to his team. "Yosh, let us start training, my students!"

Sasuke frowned. "Hey! I'm trying to talk to you!"

To the side, Asuma shook his head and flicked his cigarette away before standing and walking off towards his team in the far side of the training grounds.

Sasuke grabbed hold of Gai's arm and pulled a little, trying to make the man at least acknowledge him.

Finally, Gai spun around and glared at Sasuke. "What do you want?" he asked, in a completely un-Gai like tone.

Sasuke glared right back. "I was trying to ask if I could join your team, but you ignored me before I could."

Gai frowned. "You dare to ask me to train you, after what you did to my student?" he said, pointing to Lee, whose arm was in bandages.

Lee decided to speak up here, having never really seen his sensei act like this. "Gai-sensei, Sasuke-kun and I were in a match, and I am okay now. Why does not just help his flames of youth like we're helping Kiba-kun?"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at Kiba. "So that's why you're here?"

Kiba shrugged. "Kurenai-sensei got a little mad at me. I was kind of insubordinate."

Neji glared. "Big words from a low class mutt."

Gai focused his killing intent on all of them, silencing them immediately. "I refuse to accept you on to my team, Uchiha Sasuke. You have shown complete disrespect for your comrades, and for that, I refuse to teach you. On top of this, I have already decided to take Kiba into my team."

Kiba looked a little ashamed at the moment as he looked away and rubbed his arm. He probably realized that Gai didn't know that he did something so close to Sasuke.

With that, Gai let the killing intent disappear, and the man turned around to his students. "Yosh! Back to training for our springtimes of youth!"

Sasuke just glared and turned on his heal before heading off towards team 8's training grounds. He had to ask the jounin sensei for their permission to join the squad, so he figured he might as well ask Kurenai.

He got their pretty quickly and found team 8, excluding Kiba, training on their usual training grounds. Shino and Hinata seemed to be sparing while Kurenai watched and offered suggestions from the sidelines. She turned to see him approaching and gave him an unreadable look.

"Hello Sasuke-san."

Sasuke tried to put on a convincing smile. Kakashi had already told him the jounin sensei weren't all that happy with his actions at the Chuunin Exams, as ridiculous as that was. After seeing Gai though, he believed it. Still, his best effort at a smile had the opposite effect he was hoping for, and Kurenai frowned for a moment.

"I need a team," Sasuke said simply.

Kurenai nodded. "I see. That is an issue."

Realizing she wasn't going to help him along, Sasuke sighed. He was not going to beg. "I need a team."

Kurenai nodded again. "I heard you the first time."

Sasuke was really getting frustrated now. She should be happy he wanted to join her team! How many chances did you get to teach a prodigy? "I want to join your team."

By now, Shino and Hinata had stopped their spar to watch the drama unfold. Kurenai simply stood there, staring at Sasuke for so long that he began to glare at her.

"Listen, I told you already, I need a team, so if you could at least answer me that would be—"

"No."

"What?"

"I said no, Sasuke-san." Kurenai said. "I do not want you on my team. Your actions in the chuunin exams were even worse than what I had Kiba removed from team 8 for."

Sasuke was really getting angry. "I did what I had to do to win," he said. "And you kicked Kiba off your team? So that means your one short of a squad. Who else could possibly join your team?"

Kurenai glared back at him. "First of all, despite using that jutsu, you still lost spectacularly. Lee beat you, a so called 'prodigy', when he wasn't able to even use chakra. And as for who else can join my team, I am waiting for Naruto-kun to ask."

"The dobe? Why would you possibly want to teach him?"

There was a resounding smack, as Sasuke realized that Kurenai had just slapped him. "Naruto-kun is a better ninja that you will ever be, Uchiha-san. Don't you ever refer to him as a dobe again."

Sasuke snorted. "Tch. Yeah, for some reason Jiraiya took pity on him as well. I don't understand this village's love for the idiot. But whatever, I guess that means I'm going to have to wait for some new genin from the academy. He glared balefully at them before walking away to brood.

Kurenai just glared at him as he left, before shaking her head, trying to clear her turned around to see Hinata looking at her oddly. "Is something wrong, Hinata?" she asked.

"Naruto-_kun_?" she asked.

Kurenai felt her heart plummet as she realized what just happened. She felt horrible as Hinata looked at her wit hurt eyes. Kurenai knew Hinata liked Naruto, she had known for a while, but in the recent drama between her, Kiba, and Shino, Kurenai had forgotten completely about Hinata and how she might feel when she found out about her and Naruto.

"Hinata...I don't know what to say," Kurenai began. "I..." _'Well this is really awkward.'_

"You knew I liked him," Hinata accused. "How could you be so cruel?"

Shino just watched on the sidelines silently. He knew that this was no when he would want to get involved. He was amazed though by all of the petty issues surrounding his team lately. First Kiba tried to create some sort of love triangle, then Kurenai and Kiba have the big argument, and now this.

Kurenai held up her hands defensively. "Now, Hinata, I want to just explain to you—"

"Explain what? That you, my sensei, took the one boy I've liked for years now?" Hinata sobbed.

Kurenai inwardly groaned. Hinata was already tearing up. This was getting out of hand. She glanced towards Shino, but he gave a nearly imperceptible shrug and left her to her own devices. So much for getting help from him...then again, he might just make it worse.

"Hinata, listen!"

"No! I'm sick and tired of just letting other people tell me what to do!" Hinata yelled.

Kurenai sweat dropped. '_Alright, this is getting out of hand. Her comment had nothing to do with the situation at all...'_

"How could you steal Naruto-kun from me, sensei?"

Still, she found herself beginning to get angry. Kurenai stalked towards Hinata, poking her. "Now you listen, Hinata. And listen real well"

Hinata shut up for a moment and nodded.

"Did you ever once tell Naruto how you felt?"

Hinata shook her head.

"Does he feel anything for you that you know of?"

Another shake.

"Then how could I have stolen him from you when you guys don't have a relationship at the moment?"

Hinata frowned through her tears. "But I like him; he was going to be mine..."

Kurenai shook her head and muttered, "baka..." She took hinata and pulled her in for a hug. "You can't just claim someone like that...that's what Kiba was doing before, Hinata. Do you realize? You have to let Naruto make his own choices. I won't stop you from trying to be in a relationship with him, but I won't give him up either. You'll have to fight for him, Hinata."

"Um, am I interrupting something?" a voice asked.

Both women separated quickly, and Kurenai could have sworn she hear Shino snort in amusement. when she looked at him though, he was sitting very still and didn't seem to have moved at all.

Kurenai turned to see Naruto giving a small smile at her, and she found herself returning the smile before she knew it. "Hello Naruto-kun. What do you need?" _'You better be asking me to join my team or I'll have Anko turn you over to Ibiki. You are not joining Gai's team!'_she thought.

Naruto shifted in place. Wel, I kind of thought you'd already know, Kure-chan"

Behind her, Hinata was boiling at how familiar he seemed to be with Kurenai-sensei.

"Oh? Well could it be with the teams?" Kurenai asked, feigning innocence.

Naruto smirked. "Stop playing. You know I need a team Kurenai-chan. So, can I join?"

Kurenai's smile widened. 'Of course, Naruto-kun! Welcome to team 8. I'm guessing you already know Shino and Hinata?"

Naruto nodded. "Yep. Well, kind of. We didn't speak too much in the academy."

Kurenai nodded in understanding. "Alright, then let's all handle this like we're a new team then." She pointed towards a log that they could all sit on, which Shino was already occupying a part of.

"Alright, let's all introduce ourselves. I'll start again. My name is Yuuhi Kurenai, I enjoy genjutsu, which I'm known well for my mastery of, and I love to create new genjutsu and play mind games. I dislike simple minded people."

She looked over at Hinata, who seemed to still be in a bad mood. Nevertheless, she started her introduction. Still, while her stutter had been nearly nonexistent when she was upset before, now that Naruto was here it returned full force, and she ended up stuttering through the entire time.

"M-m-my n-n-name is H-hyuuga H-hinata. I l-like my t-team and I admire a p-person who is strong and smart. He inspires m-me to b-be strong." Hinata cast a quick glance over at a confused Naruto. "M-my d-dream is to m-m-make m-my f-f-f-father proud."

Shino sat straighter as he realized everyone's eyes were on him. Like the others, his introduction was much like it had been when they first formed as a team.

"I am known as Aburame Shino. I enjoy reason and logic, as well as order and structure. I pride myself on being able to draw detailed, accurate, conclusions on matters quickly I also enjoy cataloging new species of bugs in Konoha. I don't like people who are illogical or unnecessarily loud. Dreams are illogical."

Now, everyone turned to Naruto, who grinned and folded his hands behind his head, making a makeshift backrest for him to lean against. "Uzumaki Naruto, future Hokage." He eyed Kurenai mischievously for a moment. "My one true love is..." at this Kurenai felt herself begin to blush. She did NOT want Naruto say this right now. "Ramen." She face faulted, and glared at him, but he only smirked back. "I like my friends, my teamates, and Kurenai-chan and Anko-chan. Oh, and training. I don't a lot of villagers. I hate people who judge me. My dream—isn't really a dream. I _will_ be Hokage though."

Kurenai nodded, and smiled at her team, except for Naruto—she was kind of mad at him for leading her on like that with the whole 'one true love' thing. "Alright. Today is the new team 8. I think we'll end practice for today right now. Tomorrow let's meet for our first practice together.

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

Haku leaned against the door, trying to listen in on the conversation between Kabuto and Orochimaru. Orochimaru brought Kabuto back from a fight a few days ago, and Kabuto was very close to dieing.

Haku was actually very concerned about Kabuto, and she was desperately trying to find out who could have hurt Kabuto like that. Unfortunately for her, the door opened as she was leaning against it, and she didn't notice because she was thinking. She tumbled forward and barely caught herself before falling flat on her face.

She looked up to see Orochimaru looking at her with a bemused expression. "Ah, Haku-chan. So nice of you to stop by. I assume you want to speak with Kabuto-kun?"

She nodded and tried to ignore how Orochimaru licked his lips as he eyes her. She still didn't know if that was a leer because she was female, or something else. In fact, she still didn't know if Orochimaru was straight or gay, but despite his odd behavior, she was pretty sure he was straight.

She stepped past him and into the room where Kabuto was recuperating in a bed. He had used what regeneration abilities he could, but even still, that only just kept him alive. He would have to wait until he was completely better before he could leave this room.

She approached the bed. "I'm glad you're okay, Kabuto-san." she said.

Kabuto nodded absently. "Nice to see you, Haku."

They were both silent for a while, until finally Haku blurted out, "What happened?"

Kabuto looked at her in surprise. "You were on the other side of the door the entire time. Didn't you hear?"

Haku shook her head, averting her eyes. "I was thinking on something else."

Kabuto smirked. "That's not a good thing, for Orochimaru-sama to think you were eavesdropping on him, and then you didn't even get anything out of it...I hope he doesn't punish you later."

Haku shook her head. "He seemed like he was in a good mood."

Kabuto nodded. "Orochimaru-sama had a little run in with the Kyuubi brat. Apparently he took a lot of pleasure in knowing he was stronger than Naruto, even after he used some of the Kyuubi's chakra."

"Is Naruto-kun alright?"

Kabuto looked at her oddly. "You know, I'm not so sure it's a good idea to show concern for him right now, Haku. Remember who you serve now."

Haku nodded. "I know. Naruto-kun was my friend though. I cannot just forget about him."

Kabuto shook his head. "Whatever. Naruto is alive. Orochimaru didn't even bother trying to attack. Although I'm not sure if that was because he couldn't do it without leaving an opening, or if he just didn't feel like it. Naruto was attacking in somewhat of a blind rage."

"Kabuto-san," Haku began. He glanced over at her from the bed, and she took a deep breath. "Are you any closer to healing Kimimaro-kun?"

Kabuto sighed. "is that all you wanted to know?" She nodded. "Heh. Well, I can't say I'm any closer, no. I'll keep looking for a cure though Haku-chan, I promise that. I know how much you care about him right now—besides, he is too useful to Orochimaru to lose him."  
"I see. I'll let you get your rest then, Kabuto-san," Haku said, walking to the door.

Kabuto grunted. "Goodnight, Haku."

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

Naruto laughed along with Kurenai as they walked to her house. Once Shino and Hinata had left the training grounds, Kurenai had invited him over for a celebration dinner. She seemed to be in happy spirits since he joined her team.

"So what was that all about when I got there earlier?"

"What was what?"

"You know, between you and Hinata. What was she all upset about?"

Kurenai glanced at him. "Sorry, I can't tell you that, Naruto-kun. You'll know in time though, I'm sure." _'And I'm confident you'll make the right choice.'_

"Aw, you're no fun Kure-chan. Oh, is this it?" Naruto asked, looking at the home they had stopped at. "It's nice."

"Thank you." Kurenai fished out her keys and unlocked the front door, letting Naruto in. It was a beautiful home. They walked into a sitting room, where she asked him to relax, while she got some refreshments from the kitchen. He sat in the center of the couch, and looked around for a moment. Across from him to the right was a hallway leading further into the house. He could see a couple doors, but not into them from where he was sitting. He could see the light coming from under neath one of the doors in the hall though, and got curious.

He blinked when a shadow moved beneath the door and the door opened, revealing a towel clad Anko. She was towel drying her hair while holding another towel wrapped around herself. Naruto blinked, and blinked again. Anko just stopped and stared at him for a moment. She had one towel wrapped around her upper body, revealing her long legs and just the top of her breasts. The towel hugged her body, letting him see most of her curves as her long legs gradually went up to her shapely ass, and her hips. Her breasts just barely peeking out above the top of the towel, but he could get a nice idea for their size. Finally, his eyes met hers, and she raised an eyebrow.

"Are you done eye fucking me or do you want more?" she asked.

Naruto blushed and really couldn't form an answer for a moment. Anko smirked and stalked closer to him, letting the towel she had covering her hair drop. Naruto leaned back in the couch as she got closer, and she put her hand on his chest. He was really having trouble keeping eye contact. Anko's legs straddled his own and she slowly began to sit down on his lap, facing sideways.

His eyes widened as she realized she wasn't wearing _anything_under that towel. Her smirk widened. "You know, if this towel were to just...drop," she began, slightly loosening her hold on the towel for a moment. "I would be completely naked."

She leaned forward and kissed him before putting his hand on her breast, through the towel. She moaned into his mouth as he began to massage her breast. She separated from him and swung one of her legs over him, so that she was completely straddling him, and facing him. The towel rode up her body for a moment, and he found himself dearly wishing the towel would move up just a little more. Anko, sensing this, put a finger under his chin and brought his face up to her own.

"None of that now. You might get to see everything one day, if you play your cards right. But not right now, Naru-kun."

She kissede him again before she stood up and walked out of the room, swaying her hips as she went, and Naruto found himself in serious need of some release. He knew he couldn't stand up right now—at least, not without a seriously embarrassing bulge.

Kurenai let out a small twinkling laugh from the doorway. "Well that was interesting. I didn't expect Anko to go that far." She carried in a tray with some sake and put it down on the coffee table. "Have yo ever had sake before, Naru-kun?"  
Naruto nodded thinking back to the drinking game he had gone through with Tsunade and Jiraiya.

"Go fish," Jiraiya said.

Tsunade snorted. "We're not playing that game, baka."

Jiraiya looked thoughtful for a moment. "What game were we playing then?"

Tsunade rolled her eyes. "Hell if I know. Put your cards down and everyone take a drink!"

They had all long forgotten what their original goal was, and that seemed like a good enough idea. They all took another shot and pick up their cards again.

"Oi, gaki. I'll make you a bet."

"Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Huh? you say something baachan?"

Tsunade frowned. "Who are you calling old? You think i'm old gaki?"

Naruto eyed her up and down. "Hmm. Well your boobs aren't as saggy as most old women, but Ero-sennin said your old and that a henge."

Tsunade turned towards Jiraiya, cracking her knuckles. "You said what?"

Jiraiya started to panic. "Wait! He was just talking about your boobs though!"

"Don't talk about my boobs!" Tsunade roared, nearly jumping across the table to hit the old pervert.

Thinking quick Jiraiya said the first thing he thought of. "Tsunade look! you won the bet! You won th bet Tsunade!"

"What? I did? What do I get?"

"Everyone gets to have another round of drinks!"

Naruto shook his head. The morning after that had been horrible—and he didn't really remember ever actually making it to his hotel room. That scared him somewhat. He realized Kurenai was still looking at him.

"Oh, yeah, I've had sake before with Ero-sennin and Baachan."

Kurenai smiled. "Baachan?"

"Oh. I mean Tsunade-sama."

Kurenai giggled, which blew into full blown laughter. "You call Tsunade-sama Baachan?"

Naruto nodded, smiling. "Yeah. Ero-sennin told me she's actually under a henge."

"And she doesn't do anything about you?"

Naruto shrugged. "I haven't called her Tsunade before I think, just like I haven't called Jiraiya by his name before. At least, I don't think I have."

Kurenai shook her head, as Anko walked in, this time fully dressed. Or not so much, considering it was her usual attire. "Ohhh sake? What's the occasion?"

"We're celebrating Naruto joining team 8."

Anko nodded. "Good reason as any! Let me have some!"

Anko poured some for herself while Kurenai and Naruto waited. "Then they all raised their sake in cheers and took a quick drink.

"To a new team."

Anko looked at them both with a devious smile. "How about a drinking game?"

Naruto gulped as Kurenai assumed the same type of smile as Anko, and they both looked at Naruto like a piece of meat.

The next morning, Naruto was regretting that drinking game. He woke up on the couch, sitting up, and on either side of him was Kurenai and Anko.

Somehow, they had all started to lose articles of their clothing, and Kurenai and Anko were both down to their lingerie. Kurenai in red, and Anko in black. He checked himself and found that his legs were tied together, and his hands bound, but he was only wearing his boxers.

He groaned as he blinked and took in the sunlight shining through the windows. He tried to stand and untie himself but found that he really couldn't move. Why was he up again?

It didn't matter. He smiled as he remembered the previous night. Anko had said something about how she wanted to do something memorable for the first time he drank with them.

They gave him a strip tease.

His nose started to bleed at the memory. Last night was probably the best night of his life yet.

Beside him, Anko started to wake up. She groaned and held her head. "Oh...what the hell. My head..."

Naruto kissed her as she woke up. "Good morning, Anko-chan," he whispered, already knowing how to speak quietly when someone had a hangover. "I'd get you some pain killers and water, but you two kind of left me tied up last night.

Anko groaned and cracked her eyes open. Then she smirked evilly.. I'd like that Naru-kun. But I think I'll get it for us and leave you tied up like that. I might want to enjoy you a bit more later."

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

**End of CHAPTER 16**

So...should I have added the actual striptease section? I was debating it. I ended up deleting it though and just saying it happened. What do you guys think? If you all say you want me to add it in i'll rewrite it and replace the chapter tomorrow. So...let me know!


	17. Forgive and Forget?

Disclaimer– "There is then creative reading as well as creative writing." Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Maelstrom of Konoha**-1.17**

**The Tale of a Young Boy's Ascent into the Legends**

_I've recently received a bunch of messages, and several reviews, about past grammar mistakes. All I can say is, I understand they are there. I will be going back to revising different mistakes after book 1 is finished. I will also add detail to scenes that seem under written. Unless they are canon events, in which case I probably won't, since I don't want to rewrite them verbatim. Other than that, a very very thank you to everyone reading, and for everyone reviewing. -Cantor_

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

"You were kicked off your team." Tsume growled over her desk.

Kiba shifted in place and shrugged. "Sorry."

They were in Tsume's office. Tsume sat behind her desk, her eyes boring a hole into Kiba's skull. He was left to stand in the middle of the room. The usual chairs meant for visitors were mysteriously missing.

Kiba hated this room. It seemed that for as long as he could remember, any time he was here it was because he was in trouble. When he became the clan head, he'd make sure to destroy this room. Too many bad memories were held here.

"I want to hear your side of the story behind your actions."

Kiba groaned inwardly. "Kurenai-sensei had told us to spar. I was matched up against Shino and Kurenai went off with Hinata—"

"That's not what I meant," Tsume said, holding up a hand. "I know _what_ happened. I want to know _why_ it happened. What could have possibly gone through your head that would make you do this?"

Kiba shifted his feet again. This was so uncomfortable, standing in the middle of the room. His mom's stare didn't help either.

"I don't know..." he mumbled.

"What was that?"

"I don't know..."

"Bullshit." Tsume snarled. "You embarrassed the clan and have hurt relations with the Aburame clan, and you don't even know the reason behind your actions?"

Kiba stood there, looking at his own feet. He wished that at least Akamaru were here, so he would feel like he had some support. Akamaru was probably being taught a lesson by the more senior dogs in the clan though.

He did know the reason, of course. That didn't mean that he wanted to tell his mom though. Still, having a reason was at least better than not having one...and if he lied to make it seem like it was a different reason, well, eventually she would find out anyway.

"I kind of got angry at Shino because of Hinata."

"Oh? The Hyuuga girl? What's she got to do with it? As I understand it, she was off with Kurenai."

Kiba nodded. "Yeah...well no, that's not why she's involved. She was with Kurenai, but I got angry with Shino because I thought he was going after her..." he mumbled the last part and turned away, embarrassed at himself for getting angry at Shino over something so stupid.

Tsume nodded. "I see..." She let silence reign for a while, letting her son drink it the atmosphere. "So let me get this straight. You fought Shino, over a girl, whom, according to Kurenai, he doesn't even seem to be pursuing? Not only that, you got kicked off of your team, embarrassed the clan, and made the entire Aburame clan angry with us? Tell me Kiba, in what way, during all of this, were you acting like the heir to the clan?"

Kiba's shoulders slouched. He hadn't even been thinking of his responsibilities as a clan heir. His mother's next words put an even bigger damper on his mood though.

"And it seems that at least Shino had his wits about him and let you be the aggressor, so his clan isn't in trouble for attacking another clan's heir. I can't believe you Kiba! From here one, I'm naming Hana as clan heir."

Kiba's head shot up in disbelief. "What? But mom!"

"-Don't you dare, Kiba. I swear, I have had it with your attitude. You've let things get to your head when you should be acting like a true shinobi. This is not something you can negotiate. Starting today, I will be naming Hana as the clan heir. Now get out of my sight. I have to deal with all of this," Tsume gestured at her paperwork. "Because of you."

Kiba walked out of the study in a daze and walked back towards his room on autopilot. He was too stunned to even think straight. His little fight with Shino—no, his attitude, had a lot of consequences. He laid down on his bed, thinking hard on his own actions lately, when there was a knock on his door, and he looked up to see Hana poking her head inside.

"I just heard that mom grilled you. I'm sorry Kiba."

Kiba shrugged. "Whatever. Congratulations."

Hana raised an eyebrow. "For what?"

Kiba grimaced. "Mom said I'm not heir material. She's naming you the heir today."

Hana's expression didn't change, but Kiba would bet anything she was excited. He stared off at a spot on the ground, moping. He was surprised though when he felt her hand on his shoulder. He looked at her to see her concerned.

"Don't worry," she grinned. "You and me both know that I'm not going to be heir permanently. You just have to clean up your act a bit. After all, the clan head is the Alpha _male_, for a reason. Only reason Mom is head now is because Dad's gone."

Kiba didn't know how to feel about this. On the one hand, he should be happy that he would still be clan head. On the other, this whole situation was like dangling an amazing prize in front of Hana; it was there, but just out of reach.

Both siblings were quiet for a bit, and Hana sat down next to him on his bed.

"You mind telling me about it?" she asked.

Kiba sighed, and went into what he considered an honest explanation of it all. It probably was more honest than usual too, since Hana was one of the few people he knew would never judge him, so he really didn't bother to hide anything. By the end of it, Hana was smiling widely.

"Oh, so does my little brother have some girl problems?"

Kiba's eyes widened. "What? No! Besides, that's hardly the worst of my problems right now."

"But it is a problem," Hana pressed. "And it's one I can actually help you with."

Kiba gave a weak smile as Hana turned and began giving him a long lecture on girls. He kind of felt like he'd rather be back in his mom's study right now.

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Kakashi barely ever felt so unsure of himself than he did right now. He was standing on training ground 7, early for once, while he waited for his old team to show up. Behind him was Hyuuga Hiashi. The Hyuuga elder had volunteered in the council to the the one to supervise Kakashi anytime that cycloptic jounin requested that he meet up with his old team.

"You know, you don't have to watch me," Kakashi said over his shoulder. "I'm not calling them together for a training session."

Hyuuga Hiashi bowed his head. "I realize that. However, it is the council's will that you be supervised. It cannot be denied that there must have been a major flaw in your teachings for the Uchiha boy to act such a way.

Kakashi groaned. The two men waited patiently on the training grounds while the different team members slowly showed up. Sakura was first.

"Hi Kakashi-sensei! What did you call us together for? And what is Hyuuga-san here for? And why are you here first?"

Kakashi smiled beneath his mask. "First of all Sakura, slow down with the questions. I would also prefer you stop calling me sensei. That title has been stripped from me. Hiashi-sama is here on the council's orders. And finally, I'm here early because I got here first."

Sakura sweat dropped. "Well that's what early means..." she mumbled.

Sasuke showed up next, simply raising an eyebrow at Hiashi and grunting a greeting out at Kakashi. He went to sit in the shade of a tree while Sakura immediately went to his side and began speaking with him.

Finally Naruto and Gai showed up. For some reason they seemed to be speaking amicably, and Kakashi wondered if Naruto had joined Gai's squad. They both fell silent as they got closer however, and Kakashi was left to his own conclusions.

"Now that you're all here, I'd like to start immediately," Kakashi said, getting everyone's attention. "Now, as I told all of you before, I am no longer the sensei of team 7. This means that the three of you have found different squads, am I right?"

Naruto and Sakura both nodded. Sasuke simply brooded beneath the tree though, glaring at Kakashi. The cycloptic jounin noticed this and raised an eyebrow. Kakashi mentally sighed. Seems Sasuke was refused from joining teams by the current jounin sensei.

"Alright, now, before you all ask, Hiashi-sama is here representing the council, which wishes to...monitor me when I meet with you guys."

"Get to the point, Kakashi." Naruto said.

Kakashi nodded, trying to ignore how easily Naruto had dropped the sensei honorific. "Alright. I simply wish to make amends. My first apology should be to you, Naruto, and you also, Sakura."

Both genin looked up at him questioningly. They hadn't actually been expecting this.

"Both of you, I cannot even begin to tell you how sorry I am that I neglected you. I am pretty sure that had I not done so, both of you would have quickly grown into great shinobi. You both have great potential, which I wasted, and I am truly sorry. I hope that both of you can find it within yourselves to forgive me. I would like to make it up to both of you someday, and because of that, I will help teach you whatever you want in the future. Assuming, of course," Kakashi added, looking at Hiashi, "that this is okay with the council?"

Everyone looked over at Hiashi, who seemed to think with himself for a moment before nodding his head. "The council will allow this. However, you will always be supervised, and you will have to get what you want to teach individually approved by the council."

"I expected nothing less," murmured Kakashi. He took a deep breath and turned to Gai. Then, he surprised everyone by bowing deeply.

"Gai...I'm not even sure what I can do to apologize. Even asking for an apology seems somewhat wrong, like I don't deserve it. One of my students tried to kill yours with an assassination jutsu that I taught him... I don't even know how to apologize for this. However, I beg you to forgive me."

There was a huge silence as everyone seemed to hold this breath, and Kakashi remained bowed towards Gai. The normally joyful joinin stared down at Kakashi with a stony face. Time seemed to stand still then, until finally Gai turned around, and without saying a word, walked off of the training grounds. Kakashi remained bowed until Gai was out of sight.

Finally, Kakashi stood and turned towards Sasuke. Naruto frowned. The jounin better not be saving 'the best for last' or some bullshit like that. He was pleasantly surprised then, when Kakashi returned Sasuke's glare.

"I don't have anything to apologize to you for, other than for not instilling in you a true sense of teamwork and camaraderie, and for teaching you too powerful of a jutsu that you weren't ready for."

Naruto nearly burst out laughing at Sasuke's stunned expression, but just managed to hold it in. He walked over to the jounin and looked him in the eye. They both looked at each other for a moment, Kakashi waiting for Naruto to speak and Naruto simply wondering how to put his feelings into words. Finally, he decided to simply go with what he felt, and he balled his hand up into a fist and sucker punched Kakashi in the face.

As Kakashi lay sprawled on the ground, Naruto smirked. "Apology accepted, for now. But I'm going to work you bone dry and pick your brain apart, Kakashi. I'm forgiving you, but I'm still going to be holding my grudge for you abandoning me in the chuunin exams for that loser."

Sasuke glared at Naruto, but the blond ignored him. "Well, I'm off to see Kurenai-sensei for training. Later, Kakashi."

Next was Sakura. She simply bowed and began to leave, but not before giving a kind smile towards Kakashi. "I don't blame you for anything, Kakashi-sensei."

Sasuke simply huffed and left, growling out something along the lines of 'being and Uchiha', which Kakashi simply scoffed at. To think that he used to be so obsessed with Sasuke's training. His eyes were wide open now though.

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

Kiba walked quickly along the street. Hana had actually turned out to be a gold mine of advice, and even promised she'd try and help him out getting 'hooked up' with Hinata. Not for the first time he thanked whoever was upstairs for giving him a sister like Hana. She was probably the best sister he could have asked for.

He scratched Akamaru's ear absently. The poor dog hadn't left his coat since he came back to him in the middle of his 'talk' with Hana. Whatever the older dogs had done or said to Akamaru had really left him shaken up. Akamaru whimpered from inside his coat as if thinking the same thing as Kiba. Maybe he was.

Kiba kept scratching and rubbing Akamaru, trying to calm his partner down a little bit, all while thinking of the things Hana had said. If he stopped and thought about it, it all should have been terribly obvious. He had been acting as though he was the 'alpha male' on his team, and since no one in his team followed that pack structure like the Inuzuka did, none of them recognized it as that, and simply thought he was being an ass.

But then, Kiba supposed he was. He'd been unnecessarily rude and arrogant, and he'd probably ruined relations with all three of the members on his team. He didn't mind so much about Kurenai-sense or Shino, but he sincerely hoped his might be able to salvage something with Hinata.

It was with this thought in mind that he changed his direction and began hurrying over towards training grounds 8 instead of his team practice with Gai. He'd just tell his new team that he had to settle a few things with team 8 before he met with them today. They'd understand.

Kiba was still so lost in thought that he nearly ran into another person on his way towards the training grounds. He looked over to see Naruto looking at him curiously.

"You okay, Kiba?"

Kiba blinked. "Yeah, why?"

"iunno." Naruto shrugged. "You seemed kind of zoned out."

Kiba shrugged. "Well...I've got a lot on my mind, I guess. Not every day I get removed from a team, put on a new one, and have to worry about apologizing to my old team mates."

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, Kakashi just apologized to team 7, and Gai-sensei as well."

"How'd that go?"

"Awkward. I got to punch him in the face though."

Kiba snorted, and started laughing. "That's the highlight of your day right there, huh?"

Naruto nodded dumbly. "Of course!" he laughed. "But still it was weird. Kakashi apologized and then offered to teach me and Sakura still...but he'll be watched by the council. Then he tried apologizing to Gai-sensei, but Gai just left, didn't even say anything."

"What about Sasuke?"

"Eh...He kind of surprised us there. He apologized for not teaching Sasuke team work, and then kind of left it right there. It wasn't a really sincere sounding apology...I think Kakashi was angry at Sasuke...maybe himself too."

Kiba nodded. "I bet. He screwed up pretty badly."

"Yeah. So what are you so worried about again? Apologizing to your team?"

Kiba nodded again. "Yeah. I'm not so worried about Kurenai or Shino...they don't really have to forgive me, but Hinata..."

"Is another story?" Naruto finished. At Kiba's nod, he smiled. "Haha, I knew you liked her, mutt-face." He quickly went on before Kiba could retort. "But I wouldn't worry about it. Hinata's really nice and everything."

Kiba smiled. "Yeah, isn't she?" he said dreamily.

Naruto frowned. "Um, don't go all mushy on me, dog breath."

"I wasn't, dobe."

"Whatever."

The two of them walked in silence for a while before Kiba nudged Naruto with his elbow. "Hey."

"What?"

"You joined team 8, right? Like, you filled my spot?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, why?"

Kiba looked Naruto dead in the eyes. "And you're not interested in Hinata?"

Naruto stared at Kiba. "You DID see me and Anko after the preliminaries, right?"

Kiba blinked, and laughed. "Oh yeah, I forgot, sorry. You're going to have to give me some tips later. But first, if you're really not interested in Hinata, you mind watching out for her? For me?"

"You mean not letting Shino get her, or not letting her get hurt?"

"Both."

Naruto shrugged. "I'll make sure nothing bad happens to her, like getting hurt, but it's up to Hinata to choose if she likes you or Shino."

Kiba deadpanned. "She likes you, you idiot."

"Huh?"

Kiba groaned. "You really are a dumbass, aren't you? Listen, I like Hinata, and I'm pretty sure that Shino likes Hinata too, no matter how much he hides it. Hinata on the other hand, likes _you_."

Naruto's mouth was hanging open. "Wow...a foursome...she's not my type though"

"Huh? Foursome what?"

"Eh? Oh, nothing. You sure she likes me?"

Kiba nodded. "Damn sure of it...everyone in our academy class knows it, except you. Haven't I told you before?"

"You have? I don't remember. Wow. Well that's embarrassing that I never noticed."

"No shit."

Naruto laughed. "Alright, well don't worry, she's not my type. I'll watch out for her, and maybe try to nudge her in your direction. I won't stop her if she ends up liking Shino though."

Kiba grimaced. "Even if I had Akamaru bite you in the nuts?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow when Akamaru whined from inside Kiba's jacket. "Looks like Akamaru doesn't like that idea."

"Guess not."

Finally, the two of them reached training grounds 8. Shino, Kurenai, and Hinata all turned to see them, and waved at Naruto, who smiled and waved back. Kiba, on the other hand, they simply stared at. Kiba hesitated a moment before plowing on and walking up to his old team alongside Naruto.

Naruto went and sat on a makeshift bench made out a log, while the old team 8 settled their differences.

"Look," Kiba began. "I know you guys are all probably pretty angry at me. He winced at Kurenai's sudden spike in killing intent. "Um...well, I came here, because I wanted to apologize."

The killing intent lessened, and Kiba gave a sigh of relief. "Kurenai-sensei. I want to apologize to you for my rudeness and for not listening to you when I should have. I took you for granted and didn't realize how much you tried to help me as a teacher."

Kurenai nodded her head, but remained silent as Kiba turned towards Shino. The bug user didn't even seem to be showing much damage from Kiba's fight. The medics had fixed him up pretty good.

"So...Shino. I've got a lot of apologize to you for, don't I?" Kiba asked with a slight smile. "I guess I never really treated you like much of a teammate. I always made the things we did into competitions, and never really worked with you. And then what we talked about before...well, what I got angry with you about. I'm sorry that I did that...I let my feelings get the best of me, and I let it really cloud my judgment. So, I'm sorry."

Shino nodded, and spoke up. "I don't bear any grudge, Kiba. In fact, I thank you for proving that my rationality and strict belief in logic is far better than your thought process."

Kiba narrowed his eyes as Kurenai tried to stiffle a laugh. "You're trying to piss me off, aren't you Shino?"

Shino didn't say anything, and Kiba's shoulders slumped. "Well, whatever."

He turned to Hinata, who seemed to be looking at him, almost coldly. "Hinata. I treated you so badly. Like I did with Shino, I didn't really treat you like a teammate, or much of a friend. I kind of only thought of myself instead of your feelings, and I hope you can forgive me as well." Kiba bowed, something he normally never would have done, and waited for them to speak.

Hinata was first.

"Kiba-kun," she said, already making Kiba feel better. She rarely used the kun honorific with him. "I forgive you..." she said in her normal sweet voice. "I'm sorry things turned out the way they did."

Kiba had been hoping for more from her, but he supposed he couldn't complain. It was better than he staying angry with him. Kurenai was the next to speak.

"You are forgiven. I'm glad you realize that what you did was wrong, unlike the Uchiha. There might be some hope for you after all. That is, if you are actually apologizing because you want to, and not because Tsume told you to?"

Kiba shook his head violently. "No! Mom didn't tell me to do this, I really am sorry!"

kurenai nodded, and turned around to hide her smile. Naruto didn't miss it though, since she went over to the log and sat down next to him. Hinata frowned at this though, and quickly walked over to sit on the other side of Naruto.

Shino watched all of this and shook his head before turning back to an oblivious Kiba. "I will consider forgiving you," he said to Kiba. "However, I cannot speak for my clan."

Kiba nodded and bowed again. "Thanks, Shino. I have to go now and meet up with my team. I'll see you some other time."

Shino turned back to see Naruto watching some ants carry food back to their nest, while Hinata glared at Kurenai. The older woman simply ignored her, but Shino noticed the slight tightening of her lips. To think that originally team 8 had two shinobi who 'fought' over a kunoichi and it traded one guy and then had two kunoichi that 'fought' over a shinobi.

Suddenly, Kurenai stood, starting the training for the day. "Alright, now that that ordeal is over, let's begin. We've already covered that Naruto will be our primary 'tank' for the team, who will focus on protecting us in the more difficult situations. His Kage bunshin also serves a great scouting purpose, so he can actually fit into our team in a reconnaissance function."

The three genin nodded, and quickly began to move to go through a bit of light training. Kurenai held up her hand though, stopping them. "Practice among yourselves for a little while. Teamwork and formations—that sort of thing. I want to see the Hokage about a mission for us."

Kurenai shushined away, leaving the genin to their own devices.

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

Asuma shook his head. "This does not seem to be working at all. Everyone get over here." He looked over at Gai, who hadn't spoken since that morning, except for a slight, "good morning." and "spar with Asuma's team."

Even Neji was casting concerned glances over at Gai, as well as Tenten, not to mention Lee, who seemed to be on the verge of tears. Well, maybe that was an exaggeration.

Team 10, breathless, lined up in front of him. Sakura seemed to be the most exhausted out of all of them. She had hardly any stamina or chakra.

"Alright. Sakura, as much as I don't want to say it, you are holding back the others. The normal Ino-Shika-Chou combination just doesn't seem to allow room for you. So I've been thinking about how to mix you in, and I've come up with an idea, however, I'm not sure how you will like it.

Sakura, who had been looking a little upset over his previous words, brightened up when she realized Asuma wasn't giving up on her.

"Since you aren't very strong physically, but you have good chakra control, you would be perfect for genjutsu. I want you to begin practicing the genjutsu I will be showing you. Also, I'm going to have you begin doing more exercises than the others, to increase your stamina so you can last longer in a fight. You're also going to begin practicing with Tenten in her personal training." Off to the side, Tenten nodded, and Asuma continued. "I've already spoken to her about this. This way you'll be a ranged fighter like her. You'll also both be learning kenjutsu from a friend of mine."

Sakura nodded, as well as Tenten, who had a gleam in her eye at the idea of learning a new fighting style, involving a sharp, pointy object.

"Good. Now everyone's had a long enough break. Back to training!" he barked. He normally would be like this, but he supposed Gai's bad mood was rubbing off on him. He turned back to the green jounin to see if he could get any information out of the man.

"Want to talk about it?" he asked, moving a piece on his shogi board.

Gai eyed the pieces for a moment, before moving his own. "Kakashi apologized."

"Oh? How'd that go?"

"I didn't forgive him."

Asuma grunted, moving his own piece. "As expected. What are you so mad about?"

Gai shrugged. "I'm not sure," he admitted, attacking Asuma's pawn.

"Hm. This isn't like you at all. It's kind of creeping me out. Are you really Gai?"

Gai gave a small smile. "My flames of youth are burning most dimly."

Asuma laughed. "Guess you are him, although I didn't know Gai ever combined the words 'dim' and 'flames of youth'. Sounds like sacrilege."

Before Gai could answer, they heard a small "Hey!" and an accompanying bark as well. Both jounins turned to see Kiba running up to them.

"Sorry I'm late, Gai-sensei." Kiba apologized.

Gai nodded. "Where were you? Training started almost an hour ago."

Kiba gave a small smile. "Um, yeah, sorry about that Gai-sensei. I kind of went to talk to team 8."

"Why?"

"Well, I kind of wanted to apologize to them, for what I did."

Gai nodded, and Asuma grunted around his cigarette.

"Is that okay?" asked Kiba

Gai smiled...a real, full smile, for the first time that day. "It is fine, Kiba-kun. It is most admirable to apologize for such a thing. Now, go to your teammates and begin practicing. I will expect an extra hour or training from you to make up for this."

Kiba nodded, and Akamaru barked again as both of them hurried off to train with their new team.

Asuma raised an eyebrow at Gai, who looked back at him in confusion. "What?"

"Oh, I was just thinking, you said, 'it is most admirable to apologize...'" explained Asuma.

Gai nodded. "I did, Asuma. What about it?"

Asuma shrugged. "Never mind."

Kiba for his part had to quickly dodge several kunai thrown by Tenten, as well as Neji's quick palm thrust.

"Hey, what gives?" he asked.

"Where were you for practice?" asked Neji.

Kiba smiled apologetically. "I had to apologize to my old team. Sorry."

Neji frowned at him. "You are on our team now, no matter how much I wish you weren't. Forget about your old team."

Kiba growled. "What did you say?"

"You heard me, mutt. If we have a scheduled training, you show up on time. No excuses."

Lee decided to step in at that moment. "Neji, Tenten. Please leave him alone. It is most unyouthful to be mad at him for apologizing to his old team."

Neji snorted. "Whatever."

Tenten and Neji walked off a bit to begin practicing, and Kiba turned to Lee gratefully.

"Thanks," he said

"Do not worry about about it, Kiba-kun." Lee said. "Do you want to spar? My arm is still a little weak; however, please do not take me lightly."

Kiba grinned. "Don't worry, I won't. I need to vent some frustration anyway."

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

Tsunade glared at the papers in front of her, as if she were trying to burn a hole in them...or burn them entirely into ash. The flow of paperwork never seemed to end. She had briefly tried using Kage bunshin to help her with the paperwork, but once her Kage bunshin drank her sake when he left the room for a moment, that was the end of THAT method. Burning the paperwork seemed like a much more enjoyable method anyway.

With that thought in mind Tsunade stacked the papers together and began going through the seals for a katon jutsu. She was just inhaling the air needed when the door opened to reveal Shizune and Kurenai, making Tsunade release a startled gasp—along with a stream of fire at the paper.

The stack of papers immediately ignited into a huge bonfire on top of her desk, and for a moment, Tsunade stood dumbstruck as Shizune and Kurenai both stared in shock at their leader. Finally, Shizune broke the silence, screaming "Tsunade-sama, Do not burn the paperwork!"

Tsunade managed a sheepish grin while Shizune quickly put out the fire with a suiton jutsu and glared at her. "Well...nobody reads those papers anyway," Tsunade said, justifying her methods.

Shizune's glare didn't lessen however, and she quickly collected the ashes and burnt paper. "Kurenai-san is here to speak about a possible mission, Tsunade-sama. I will leave you two to speak while I go find extra copies of these papers..."

Tsunade groaned audibly, and sat back down on her desk. She looked over at Kurenai and gestured for her to sit. "What can I do for you?"

Kurenai blinked. "Um, Shizune-san just said, Tsunade-sama. I'm looking for a mission for team 8."

Tsunade nodded and quickly went through the mission scrolls. "Ah, yes, that is the team with Aburame Shino, Hyuuga Hinata and Inuzuka Kiba, correct?"

Kurenai shook her head. "Not anymore, Tsunade-sama. I followed through and removed Kiba from the team."

Tsunade glanced up at the red eyed jounin. "So it's just two genin now?"

"No. I've recently accepted Uzumaki Naruto onto team 8 as well."

Kurenai watched as Tsunade's expression suddenly changed to a wide smile. "Oh, so your teaching Naruto-kun now?" she asked. "How has that been going?"

Kurenai smiled. "Wonderfully, Tsunade-sama. However, we have only had a short time together, so I still need to see how things will work out. There is a slight amount of friction between me and Hyuuga Hinata however."

Tsunade frowned. "Why's that? Because you kicked the Inuzuka off the team?"

Kurenai shook her head. "No, it is because Hinata happens to have a crush on Naruto."

"Ah, so that's why," Tsunade nodded her head, but stopped suddenly. "Wait, that doesn't make any sense. What does that have to do with Hinata and you having problems? Unless..." Tsuande's jaw dropped. "You?" she spluttered. "And Naruto?"

Kurenai smiled. "Sort of."

Tsunade's mouth worked. "Sort of?"

Kurenai nodded. "Naru-kun and I aren't exactly dating, or really even in a relationship, yet. However, I do like him, and we are waiting until he is old enough before we start anything."

Tsunade's shock slowly dissipated, and she nodded to herself. "I see. Well, you'll have your hands full then. I can see why Jiraiya was so...proud, of his student."

Kurenai smiled to herself, and decided to give Tsunade another little shock. "Ah, no. Jiraiya wasn't proud because of that."

"Then what was he proud of?"

"Well, that would be because Naruto-kun will actually be in a relationship with both Anko and me."

Tsunade simply sat there in shock, and Kurenai actually waved her hand in front of the older woman's face after a while to see if she was alright. Kurenai was about to get help when suddenly Tsunade stood up from her chair, shaking her fist.

"That old pervert managed to corrupt him first!" she roared. "Damn it! Jiraiya made a second pervert!"

This time it was Kurenai's turn to be shocked, and Shizune actually heard Tsuande and ran into the room. "Tsunade-sama? What's wrong?" she asked frantically.

Tsunade turned to Shizune. "That old pervert managed to corrupt Naruto-kun first!"

Shizune raised an eyebrow. "First?"

"He made him a pervert!"

"Actually..." Kurenai began, "he didn't." Unfortunately, no one heard her.

"As opposed to what?" Shizune asked. "An alcoholic? Or a gambler?"

"I am NOT an alcoholic! And besides, either are better than being a pervert!"

Shizune just shook her head, and realizing there wasn't any real problems, she left the room. "I doubt Naruto-kun is a pervert, Tsunade-sama," she said, as she shut the door.

When Tsunade calmed down, Kurenai decided that she could speak again. "Um...about that mission..."

Tsunade jumped, as thought she had forgotten Kurenai was there, and the jounin sweat dropped.

"Oh... right. Let's see here...I think I burned the D-ranked missions by accident before...so I'm giving your squad a C-ranked."

Kurenai nodded. "The details?"

"There have been complaints of a recent kidnapping of the daughter of a village's mayor. The men are ransoming the daughter, and your team is required to track the bandits down and retrieve the daughter."

"Are their shinobi among the kidnappers?"

"None that have been reported, but I'd still be wary."

"Hai, Tsunade-sama. My team will set out tomorrow morning."

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

**End of CHAPTER 17**

Thank you for reading. As I said early, don't hesitate to point out mistakes _if you understand what you're talking about._ Do not do this for old chapters though, I will fix those later. Um, what else? Next chapter is Monday morning probably. I'll be covering the mission and some other things.

Also, I decided to not put the striptease into the story. Use your imaginations! I may eventually make a oneshot of it though, but we'll see. If I do it, it won't be very soon. I'm also going to be adding a chapter of I, Hinata or two, since I've really been neglecting that, when I shouldn't be...


	18. Heading Out

Disclaimer– "Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing." - Benjamin Franklin

The Maelstrom of Konoha**-1.18**

**The Tale of a Young Boy's Ascent into the Legends**

_I've recently decided that since I have already allowed a few people to contact me this way, might as well allow everyone indiscriminately to allow people to contact me through IM rather than just Private Messages. Check my bio page for the information. Anyway, I know I said expect this Monday 'morning' but technically it is the morning, and I just finished studying for a test tomorrow, so I figure, I might as well post this now. Enjoy. -Cantor._

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Kurenai hurried back from the Hokage's office after receiving her team's mission. She jumped down into the clearing, startling the three genin, who seemed to be in the middle of working Naruto into the team in place of Kiba. As Kurenai got up from the crouch she had landed in, the three genin stood and walked in front of her, standing in a line and looking expectantly at her.

"So what's out mission?" Naruto asked bluntly.

Kurenai smiled at the three of them. "I spoke with Tsunade-sama, and she feels that our team will be strong enough to handle a C-ranked mission," she lied. Well, not really. Tsunade-sama probably did believe they could handle it, but had it not been for the fact that she burnt all of the D-ranks, they probably wouldn't be getting the chance to do the C-rank.

Still, the genin all seemed pleasantly surprised about it. Naruto had a huge smile and threw his fist into the air, while Hinata blushed at the praise and twiddled her fingers. Shino simply raised an eyebrow, but that was enough, considering how stoic his appearance normally was.

"Now, here are the mission details," she said, holding up her hand to forestall any more questions. "There has been a recent kidnapping of the daughter of a nearby village's mayor. Since our team is still well suited to intelligence and scouting with the use of Hinata's Byakuugan and Shino's kikai bugs, we've been chosen for this mission."

Naruto looked a little confused though, and when Kurenai glanced at him, he quickly spoke up. "What is my real purpose on this team Kurenai-sensei? I don't really have any real way to gather information."

Hinata put on a concerned face and put her hand on Naruto's arm, trying to ignore the immense blush that followed. "N-Naruto-kun. I'm s-sure you c-can help us," she said. "A-after all, you are v-very s-strong.

Kurenai shot a quick glare at Hinata that Naruto failed to notice. She shook her head and tried to ignore Hinata's attempts at flirting with Naruto. She couldn't help but notice that Hinata still hadn't moved her hand off of Naruto's arm though. "While you might not have bugs or a bloodline like Shino and Hinata, but I believe I have already told you how useful your Kage Bunshin can be. Simply make them, and then when they get information to report back, have them dispel. Whatever they learned will be sent back to you."

Naruto frowned. "But that can't be really efficient," he said, surprising them with how he was thinking this through. "The Kage Bunshin can be seen pretty easily since they are exact copies of me."

Kurenai nodded. "Yes, but if you henge them into say...rabbits or squirrels, nobody would really notice unless they were hunting you. In that case, it might be best to henge your Kage Bunshin into say rats or some animal people normally don't eat, or notice. Just make sure that whatever you henge them into is something that is commonly seen in the area."

Naruto's frown slowly turned into a look of surprise. "I never thought of that."

"Well, now you know. However, make sure you don't waste all of your chakra doing that Naruto. Your true value on this team is as a fighter to protect us in tight situations."

"Of course! I'll do my best!"

Kurenai's red lips parted to show her pearly white teeth in a smile. "Good. Now, everyone head home and get all of your stuff packed. We set out tomorrow, and we'll be gone for about a week."

The three genin all quickly said their goodbyes before heading their separate ways to prepare. Kurenai also turned around and headed off to her own apartment shortly after. She had to pack as well, after all. And she had to make sure Anko understood not to destroy her home.

Not long afterwards, Kurenai found herself in her room at her house, going through drawers and packing different sets of clothing, tools, and rations. Once she had everything she needed, she pulled out several empty scrolls that were available at most ninja supply stores. In the middle of them were seals, one for each scroll, which allowed her to store pretty much any item within them. These scrolls were aptly named 'storage scrolls'.

She rolled out two and placed her 'luggage' on top of the scrolls before quickly channeling chakra into the seals and activating them. With a small 'poof' the items disappeared in a wisp of smoke and were sealed inside the scrolls. She watched, fascinated, as the seal on the scroll morphed into a different symbol, perhaps symbolizing that something was sealed inside. She didn't really know what the different seals meant, but fuinjutsu was something that had always interested her. It seemed to have as many different possibilities as genjutsu. That is to say—limitless.

She heard a creak from the door and she looked up to see Anko leaning there, watching her pack her things.

"Whatchya up to?" she asked, shoving some dango into her mouth.

"I'm going to be leaving on a mission tomorrow morning."

"Oh? You and the rest of team 8? What's the mission?"

"Rescue some mayor's daughter that was kidnapped."

"Hm. Sounds interesting. I'm surprised Tsunade is letting you guys go on a C-rank, since Naru-kun is new to the team. I can't imagine your team work will be that great."

Kurenai nodded. "Well, Naruto-kun is pretty adaptable. I don't think the mission will be all that difficult anyway."

Anko made a small whining noise around her dango.

"What?" asked Kurenai.

"I want to go!" Anko whined, and pouted cutely.

Kurenai laughed to herself. "Stop that," she said. "I'll only be gone a week."

"Yeah," Anko said. "Only a week, with _Naru-kun_."

Kurenai shot Anko an annoyed glance. "It's really not like that at all, Anko. I'm with the entire team, nothing will happen."

"But I want to go!"

"No."

"Pout no jutsu!" Anko said, giving Kurenai her best pout.

Kurenai laughed and grabbed her pillow from her bed before throwing it at Anko. "Alright, that was a very effective jutsu. I can only imagine the enemies you'll defeat with it one day," Kurenai said dryly. "But even if I said so, Tsunade-sama would still have to approve."

"Fine. I'll just have to talk to her then, and force her to see my way." Anko said, huffing.

"Oh, and Anko?"

"Yeah?"

"While I'm gone, don't destroy the house. That means no parties or testing any new jutsu, don't do anything that might be dangerous or ruin anything."

There was a long pause while Anko stared at Kurenai, when finally Anko gave a fake wail and left the room, sobbing about 'no fun'. Kurenai went back to preparing for the mission with a smile that just wouldn't leave her face, while she shook her head at Anko's antics.

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Tsunade looked up from her desk when a quick knock sounded on her door. "Enter," she said.

The door opened to reveal, unsurprisingly, Shizune. "Forgive me for intruding, Tsunade-sama, but I have someone who wishes to speak with you."

"I'm busy right now, Shizune. Can you ask them to come back later?"

Shizune looked up at Tsunade for a moment before she glanced back behind her. "Ah, I did, Tsunade-sama, but she insisted that she speak with you."

Tsunade sighed, and finally relented with a wave of her hand. "Alright, alright. Send 'em in."

"Hai!" Shizune quickly stepped aside to reveal Anko, who strode in quickly with her usual smirk. Around her arms were snakes that were hissing furiously at Shizune.

"Thank you, Shizune-chan!" Anko said brightly. Shizune nodded and shut the door behind her.

Tsunade looked questioningly at the door. It was really unlike Shizune to become unsettled. "What did you do to her?" Tsunade asked.

Anko shrugged. "Having experience as an interrogator with Ibiki does have its benefits. I can really lay it on thick when I want to."

Tsunade nodded thoughtfully. "Interesting. Surely you aren't about to try and do something similar with me?" she asked, eyeing the snakes hissing around Anko.

Anko shrugged again. "Depends," she admitted, ignoring Tsunade's twitching eyebrow. "I heard you gave Kure-chan and her team a mission."

Tsunade had to think a moment about who Kure-chan was, but when she realized, she asked, "What about it?"

"I want to go with them."

Tsunade nodded thoughtfully for a moment. "Well...it is a C-rank and..." then it struck her, and she frowned. "Wait. Naruto is on that team."

Anko nodded happily. "Yup!"

Tsunade's eyes narrowed. "And Kurenai is the sensei. Kurenai shared some interesting information with me earlier. You, Kurenai, and Naruto? Absolutely not."

Anko's jaw dropped. "What? But you were about to say yes!"

"I am not about to encourage that child's perverted behavior by sending you two out there with him!"

"Hey! A little bit of perversion is a good thing! Can you just imagine me, Kure-chan and Naru-kun all hot and sweaty while..."

"Stop it! I am NOT hearing this!" Tsunade shouted over Anko while she covered her ears. When she saw that Anko had stopped talking, she lowered her hands, only to quickly bring them back up as Anko continued,

"Moaning and groaning while he..."

"ENOUGH!" Tsunade finally yelled, smashing her fist through her desk. Anko quickly shut up after that. "My decision is final. I won't be allowing you to accompany team 8 on their mission. I do not approve of this relationship, Anko, and I will not encourage it by allowing you three to have time to yourselves on missions."

Anko nodded finally, appearing thoughtful. "I see. I understand, Tsunade-sama."

Tsunade brought her head up incredulously. "What? Really?"

Anko nodded again. "I guess. Although it really bothers me...and I would really like-Pout no jutsu!"

Tsunade blinked at the sudden change in Anko as she pouted and quivered her lower lip at her. For a moment, she didn't know what to do. Not that the jutsu was effecting her at all—if it even was a jutsu—it was just that this was not how Tsunade was used to people acting. "Um...please stop that."

Anko continued her jutsu for a few moments before sighing and 'releasing it'. "You are very powerful to have resisted that. No wonder you are Hokage."

"Was that even a jutsu? I didn't sense you using any chakra."

"Nope. But it was worth a try."

Tsunade shook her head in exasperation. "You are as weird as Naruto," she said. "Maybe that's why you two seem to fit together so nicely.

"I've never really thought about why I like him."

"Maybe you should, Anko. I would hate to see Naruto hurt if your feelings suddenly change after he becomes attached to you."

Anko shook her head. "I wouldn't dream of hurting him. I said I don't really know why I like him exactly, but I know I do."

Tsunade picked up a scroll and began reading it. It was a report from an ANBU. "Well then," she said, glancing up at Anko. "I suggest that you really think about this, Anko. You and Kurenai. I will admit that I am somewhat friendlier with Naruto than I should be as a Hokage, since I spoke with him a lot when he brought me back to Konoha with Jiraiya, and I really hope he gets some cheer in his life. If he is happy with you...and Kurenai, I suppose I'll turn a blind eye towards this."

Anko nodded and turned around to leave, letting her snakes disperse. "Thank you, Tsunade-sama," she said as she walked out.

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Hinata knocked on the open door, trying to get her father's attention. He looked up from his desk in the room and nodded to her in greeting, before looking back down at the papers on his desk.

"Daughter."

"Father, I have a m-mission." Hinata said, watching her father as he read through some sort of financial records.

"I see." he said, simply, not bothering to look up.

Hinata gulped, hoping that her father would say more. She hated how he seemed so cold and distant. It wasn't like he was mean or cruel to her, but he certainly made no effort to show her any type of affection, or make her feel special. In fact, if Hinata was honest, he probably showed Hanabi much more affection than her; but even then, it was not the type of father daughter relationship both daughters craved, but more of a simple pride he had for whoever had mastered more of the Hyuuga fighting style.

"Kurenai-sensei said that we w-will b-be gone for about a week."

"I see. Do not get hurt." He said, writing something down.

"I w-will do my best, father."

See that you do. Do not embarrass the clan or endanger your team mates either." He still hadn't looked at her.

Hinata nodded, not that he could see. "I will, father."

Hinata left, realizing her father was concentrating too hard on whatever work he was doing to really devote his attention on her. She would be going on missions more and more often anyway, and she supposed that it was time she got used to how her father acted, but she still wished she was closer with him.

She opened the door to her room and pulled out her backpack, and started going through her clothes and ninja supplies. She started neatly packing her clothes into the bag when she noticed an outfit that she normally did not wear. She had bought it a while ago, but later realized that she felt little too uncovered to wear it outside. But then she thought of how she had noticed Naruto-kun looking at Kurenai sensei, and how she dressed in her clothes.

She shook her head and was about to move on when the sudden image of Kurenai kissing Naruto filled her head, and Hinata nearly growled. She realized now that she would have to be more actively pursuing Naruto-kun if Kurenai-sensei was her competition. With new determination, Hinata packed the outfit, and as an afterthought, decided to throw in a few more items to try and get Naruto-kun's attention with. She needed to look every bit as beautiful as she could if she wanted to get his attention. She would not lose to Kurenai-sensei!

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Shino quietly gathered his things in his bedroom. He was well aware that this mission would be his first C-rank, and he wanted to make sure that he had everything he needed. He already had all of the kunai he needed and soldier pills, extra clothes, as well as a form of food that his clan had developed specifically for their kikai bugs, which they could eat instead of his chakra.

His father walked into the room and watched him silently. Neither of them spoke, there wasn't really a need to. Shibi watched as Shino finally finished and put his bag near the door, where he would pick it up before leaving tomorrow morning.

"How long?"

"One week."

"Hm."

Shino went to an ant colony he had by his window. They were fascinating creatures. The way they built their nest and dug into the earth, each part of the nest had its own purpose, from food storage, to different areas for pupae and larvae. The colony had gotten quite big since he started it a several months ago. It was...satisfying and relaxing to see the fruition of the ants' hard work and precise lifestyle.

"Our clan elders and I will be speaking about the recent issue with the Inuzuka boy," Shibi said finally.

"I do not bear Kiba any ill will."

"There is still the issue of the clan's violation of agreements and bonds that have been in place since the time when both our clans came to Konoha as one group. To ignore these bonds and agreements is to ignore out clan's friendship."

Shino nodded. "I understand."

"When you come back after the mission, I will inform you on what the clan has decided." Shibi turned around and left the room, leaving Shino to himself.

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Naruto sat in his room on his bed, watching the second hand move slowly on its orbit around the face of the clock. He sighed and looked back at his packed backpack. He had finished a while ago. Actually, he had a clone do the work for him while he went out and ate at Ichiraku's. That had probably been a mistake, since now he had nothing to do to occupy himself.

Waiting. He really hated this feeling. In a lot of ways he wished Kurenai hadn't ended their training. Even though it was work, and he would often times get sweaty and tired, or hurt, he enjoyed the company while training, or on missions. Even D-ranked missions were fun compared to waiting. The boredom that accompanied it was dreadful.

He looked back at the clock. A minute had passed. He sighed and slumped his shoulders before finally laying back on the bed and staring at the ceiling. There was a horrible stain on the ceiling, a mark that there was water collecting up there—probably from some leak. He'd have to get that fixed sometime soon.

Naruto frowned. Since the Old man had passed away, Naruto had stopped receiving his 'allowance', entirely, or really getting any help at all. He could probably ask the council, but he heard that to really get anything from the council you had to form some sort of argument and speak in front of them. He wasn't really good at that. All he could think to say was "I need money." Somehow that didn't seem like a persuasive argument.

Money really had turned into a issue. With the rent he needed to pay, as well as food, clothes, supplies, and repairs for damage in his apartment, his funds were really spread thin, and D-ranks just barely covered it, making him prioritize on what he spent his money on. That water damage probably wouldn't be dealt with anytime soon, unless this C-rank paid well.

This was boring. Lonely and boring. Naruto wondered what this next mission would be like. Would they get in a fight, or would they somehow stealthily rescue the daughter from the kidnappers? To fill in the time, he thought up a few different scenarios...all of them with him as the main hero doing the work. He knew that was pretty ridiculous, but it was just a harmless daydream. Just as Naruto was about to roll over on his bed and try to get comfortable for some really early sleep, there was a huge knock on the door. It sounded like someone had actually been flung against it. He sat up as there was another knock.

"Coming!" he called.

The knocking kept up until Naruto finally unlocked the door and opened it. "Yeah?" he asked. He looked over to see Anko.

"Aw, that's all I get? Just 'Yeah?'" I thought you'd be glad to see me, Naru-kun!"

Naruto stood there for a moment before laughing. "No! No I'm glad to see you, Anko. Come on in." He opened the door wider to let her in.

She smiled and walked past him before giving him a quick kiss. "Thanks for letting me in, Naru-kun."

Naruto smiled and nodded while he went to sit on the couch. Anko followed him and sat right next to him. She sighed. "Ah, this is comfortable. Mind if I lay down?"

She didn't wait for him to answer as she stretched and hung her feet over the arm of the couch, while she let her head rest in Naruto's lap. For a moment, Naruto sat stiffly, and she smiled knowingly at him.

"Am I making you uncomfortable?"

"Heh...no, it's fine."

"Good. I wasn't planning on moving anyway. You don't have any pillows handy, so you're my designated pillow for now."

Naruto nodded. "Got it."

Both of them were quiet, while Naruto wondered what was going on, and Anko simply seemed to relax. He felt more than a little awkward, and realized he felt like he needed something for his hands to do. On top of that, Anko's hair looked really enticing. So he found himself loosening her hair. She looked up at him curiously, making him pause for a moment, but she didn't say anything and closed her eyes again. She shifted a little bit and gave a contented smile.

"I didn't know you were like this," she said.

"I didn't know you'd let me do it," he countered.

"Fair enough. I guess I don't have the personality that makes people think I might enjoy this."

"Do you?"

"If it's you," she smirked.

Naruto nodded and went to playing with her hair, gently combing it with his hand. "So... What are you here for?"

"Mmm nothing." she said innocently. "I kind of heard you're going out on a date with Kure-chan."

Naruto spluttered, making her laugh. "Well, more like a vacation," she said. "For an entire week."

"No I'm not. Who said that?"

Anko rolled her eyes. "You really are stupid sometimes, gaki. Good looking, caring, a great ninja, you'll probably be dead gorgeous in a few years, but you could really use some work in the thought department."

Naruto blinked. "On the one hand, I want to yell at you, but on the other hand, you complimented me...and what the hell do you mean a vacation?"

Anko smirked. "Hm. Just call me beautiful, and shower me with expensive presents, and dango. That always works. And what I'm talking about is this mission."

Naruto laughed. "And that's my date with Kure-chan?"

"You get to spend a whole week with her! And she's your sensei," Anko pointed out.

"True enough. Sorry, I guess."

"Don't apologize, baka!"

"What do you want me to do then?"

Anko sighed. "I really have to spell everything out for you, don't I?" Naruto nodded, and she went on. "Ask me out for a date."

Naruto froze for a moment. "A date?"

"Yup." Anko stood up from the couch and fixed the wrinkles in her coat. "Once you get back on that mission, we're going on one."

"I've never been on a date before." Naruto said from where he was sitting.

"Well, in a week that will change." Anko bent down and brought her lips to his before heading out the door. "I expect you to plan it all out, Naru-kun. And to treat me to a fun time."

Naruto nodded dumbly as she waved and left, closing the door behind her. Finally, a huge smile broke out on his face and he leaned back into the couch. "A date, huh?"

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

The next morning team 8 gathered at the gates. Naruto waved to both Hinata and Shino, who were already there. Shino nodded to him briefly, and Hinata blushed before giving him a shy smile.

"Good morning, Naruto-kun," she said.

Naruto smiled and gave her a quick nod before sitting down to wait for Kurenai, who still hadn't arrived.

Hinata walked over and sat next to him, while Shino remained standing like before. Naruto glanced at Hinata, who just blushed deeply, but stayed where she was.

"I w-wonder what t-this mission will b-be like." Hinata stuttered.

"A lot different from D-ranks. I was on a C-rank turned B-rank with team 7 before." Naruto said.

Hinata-gasped. "Really?" she said, putting her hand on his arm as she leaned in.

Shino spoke up from the side. "He's told us this before, Hinata"

Hinata looked embarrassed for a moment and leaned back like she was before, and Naruto wondered why she had suddenly acted so amazed.

"Oh, I forgot. Sorry." she said. Naruto nodded. Seemed reasonable.

"Well, if the enemy ninja didn't show up, it really wouldn't have been all that exciting."

Shino spoke up again. "It could happen again though. It wouldn't be unreasonable to believe there may be ninjas helping the kidnappers."

"I supposed so," Naruto conceded. He looked over to see Hinata looking a little bothered.

"What's wrong?" he asked her, putting his hand on her shoulder. Her head whipped over to him at the sudden touch, and he quickly brought his hand back to his side.

"Sorry," he said. _'I really have no idea what is wrong with her.'_

"N-n-no, its fine, N-naruto-kun," she protested. "I was just worried about fighting other ninjas. What if I'm not strong enough?"

"It will be fine," Naruto assured her.

"Of course it will," said a new voice. The three genin looked up to see Kurenai approaching. "I wouldn't force any of you to fight ninjas at this point. You don't have enough experience."

"But I've fought ninjas on a mission before." Naruto said.

Kurenai looked at him oddly. "Yes, on that one mission to wave. Still, that was because you absolutely had to. It will be the same case on this mission. You won't be engaging enemy ninja unless it is absolutely necessary. Now, let's talk about traveling real quickly. And open your bags as well."

As she was speaking, Hinata subtly positioned herself between Kurenai and Naruto, forcing the latter to try and look around her in order to see Kurenai properly.

Kurenai looked through all of their stuff in turn, nodding as she went. "Alright. Seems like you all packed properly, considering. Now, about traveling. I expect the trip to take two days to get there. We'll be camping outside, which will be good experience for you guys. Then we'll be using three or four days to find the girl. I believe if it is any longer than that and there aren't any leads, or even any ransom, then chances aren't good for finding the girl. Then we'll be heading back then same way we came. Simple enough?"

Everyone nodded, and Kurenai had them all close their bags and sling them around their back. She stood and went to the gate guards, asking them to open the gate for their mission. They nodded, and in just a few moments, team 8 was speeding through the trees surrounding Konoha. As they were running, Hinata quickly sped up alongside Naruto, occasionally casting odd glances in his direction, which confused him a lot.

In front of them, Kurenai shook her head at Hinata's efforts. She hadn't failed to notice Hinata's methods, but she couldn't help but feel bad for the girl. _'He's already too far gone for you to get him, Hinata. Besides, even if you don't realize it, you are competing against me AND Anko, not just me.'_

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

Kakashi walked back from the memorial stone, his eyes already glued to the book. It could generally be agreed upon that when Kakashi wasn't staring at the memorial stone, he was staring at his book. He didn't really have eyes for anything else. Although, at one point, Sasuke may have had a spot in there as well. Now, it was just back to the original two.

Kakashi blushed, and was once again thankful for his mask. When he was younger, he had been considered quite attractive to a lot of the girls his age. Unfortunately, he had always had a huge problem with blushing, which evidently drove the girls wild, since they thought it was cute. It also encouraged them unfortunately, since he was normally blushing at all of the attention from the girls.

Eventually, he discovered Jiraiya's books through his sensei, who was actually Jiraiya's student. To fix the problem, Minato-sensei had suggested that he wear a mask to hide the constant blushes, and to also read Jiraiya's books, hoping that through reading such material, Kakashi would eventually become used to girls and other things.

That never really worked, and Kakashi simply had to wait for a certain level of maturity before his blushes would stop. Unfortunately, Jiraiya's books were awfully addicting, and now Kakashi was a pervert. Now he simply wore the mask for a different reason.

Kakashi glanced up from his book to see Sasuke leaning against a tree on the path in front of him, waiting for Kakashi to reach him. Kakashi stopped and waited as Sasuke kicked off the tree and walked up to him.

"Hi Sasuke." Kakashi said. "You know, I'm not supposed to meet with you."

Sasuke nodded. "Nobody is here to say anything. I just want to ask you something."

"Oh? and what's that." Kakashi asked.

"Teach me."

Kakashi sweat dropped. "Um, first of all...that wasn't a question. Secondly, I can't teach you. Not without a council member present."

Sasuke glared at him. "How could you simply throw me away? I'm your student!"

Kakashi sighed. "I made a mistake while teaching you Sasuke. I didn't teach you the importance of comrades, and it nearly led the death of a Konoha ninja."

"If that kid had died, it would have been because he wasn't strong enough," Sasuke snarled. "The weak die before the strong."

Kakashi held his head in his hands. "My god. What did I see before?"

Sasuke huffed. "I am an Uchiha! You should be proud that you are teaching me!"

"And so I was, Sasuke. But not anymore. Not after I've seen your true colors." Kakashi said, walking past Sasuke. "Either way, this discussion is over. I won't be teaching you anything unless a council member supervises. I won't get in any more trouble because of your attitude."

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

"Alright, we'll be stopping here for the night." Kurenai announced, pointing at the small area next to a stream. Beside her, the three genin were all catching their breath.

"Naruto, I want you to get some firewood with your Kage bunshin and bring it back. Hinata can get some water and Shino if you could please start the fire when they finish."

The three genin nodded and went about their assigned tasks; while Kurenai sat down to think. She was debating over how they would manage the night watch.

On the one hand, she could just ask Shino to have his bugs watch over them, since they didn't actively need chakra outside of his body, and in the morning they could just come back and 'fill up' again so to speak.

On the other, it would be useful for the genin to learn about holding watch at night and taking turns doing it. This would be especially crucial if they ever did a mission with other teams. Still, Shino's bugs would probably be a much safer method than genin's unobservant eyes.

But as she thought about it, her genin didn't exactly lack the means to be watchmen. Naruto could use Kage bunshin, who once created didn't require any more chakra, Shino had his bugs...the only person who actively needed chakra while using her ability was Hinata.

Finally, all of the genin finished and Shino quickly had a small fire going. All three of them laid out their sleeping bags without her asking, making her smile. Once they were finished, they all walked over to her again, waiting for her to speak as they all pulled out ration bars and began eating.

"Alright, we have two options. One, Shino's bugs can keep watch for us, or maybe Naruto's Kage bunshin, while we all get some sleep. On the other hand, it would be useful for you all to learn about taking shifts to do night watch. So I'm going to let you guys decide."

"I think we should take turns," Naruto said.

"An illogical decision," Shino said. "If we can all get sleep and have a method to do so without wasting chakra, we should do it and conserve our strength."

Naruto turned towards Shino. "Maybe, but it certainly seems logical to learn how to keep watch to me."

Shino stayed silent. Hinata stepped forward and decided to speak. "Ano...I agree with Naruto-kun."

Kurenai looked at Hinata questioningly. "Are you sure, Hinata? After all, you will have to use your chakra to take watch, while Shino doesn't and Naruto only has to use his once. You aren't just agreeing with Naruto because he suggested it?"

Naruto frowned. "Why would she just agree with me? That doesn't make any sense." '_Does she like me that much?'_

Hinata flushed, and Kurenai smiled to herself. "I have no idea, Naruto-kun."

Although she realized she was putting Hinata in an uncomfortable position by pointing this out, Kurenai knew that Hinata was planning on playing dirty from the moment she had looked through the girls bags back at Konoha's gates, so Kurenai had to up the ante, so to speak.

Beside Hinata, Shino took a step forward and put a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder. He probably realized exactly what Kurenai had done, judging by the look he was sending her. Kurenai sighed and gave an apologetic glance back at him. Mentally she chastised herself for being so childish.

"Alright, well we'll take turns tonight keeping watch. Everyone get to sleep. Naruto, can you take first watch? And then decide to wake up either Shino or Hinata half way through."

Naruto nodded and made several Kage bunshin. He stared at them for a few moments before each henged into a different animal and set off it different directions. Naruto himself simply went over to the fire and fed it some wood while everyone else began to go to sleep.

The next morning the group was all woken by Kurenai, who had the last shift, and they were quickly heading off in the direction of the village again. It took them the better part of the day and once again the genin were all breathless at the end of the trip, but they arrived at their destination just an hour before they would normally eat dinner.

They all followed Kurenai as she asked about the mayor, and was finally told where to find him. His house wasn't actually that big, which was surprising to Naruto, who had imagined something grander. Apparently the village mayor wasn't that wealthy.

His wife, a woman who looked to be in her thirties, with her hair in a bun and the dark hazel eyes answered the door and led them into a sitting room, where the mayor finally met them.

"I am Jinji," he said. "Welcome to my village."

"Thank you, Jinji," Kurenai answered with a bow of her head. "I am Yuuhi Kurenai, the jounin sensei of this squad, and these are my students, Uzumaki Naruto, Hyuuga Hinata, and Aburame Shino."

"It is a pleasure to meet you all," Jinji said. "I am sure you know the problem I am facing?"

"We do. It is a problem that no parent should face." said Kurenai. "We'll be doing our best starting tomorrow morning to find out everything we can."

"Of course. Allow me to tell you exactly what happened while we all have dinner."

Jinji led them into the kitchen, where his wife set some plates for them with food, and over dinner, he explained the situation.

"It happened about four days ago, after we had all gone to bed. As you can see, our village doesn't have any high walls or really anything to keep people outside. We are generally protected through sheer isolation. We aren't very wealthy either, and people don't particularly think there is much to gain by attacking us."

"So why do you think your daughter has been kidnapped? Was there a ransom note?"

Jinji shook his head. "No. We have no idea. It just happened—we got up in the morning and Kazumi was just gone."

Kurenai nodded. "I see. Are you sure it was a kidnapping, then?"

Jinji spluttered. "What do you mean? How could it not be?"

"Well, are you sure Kazumi didn't just run away? Were there signs of a struggle, or perhaps things missing from her room, broken window or locks? Anything?"

Jinji shook his head. "No, she was simply gone. We have no idea what happened."

"Alright. My team and I will get on it tomorrow. If we can be shown to where we will be sleeping so we can get off to an early start?"

Jinji's wife nodded, and began to lead them away.

"I'm sorry, but I never got your name" Kurenai said.

"Please, call me Nanase. Now, here is the room. I hope you don't mind all sharing one room?"

Team 8 all looked at each other and shook their heads. "Not at all."

"Alright. Well, if you need anything, please let me know."

They all nodded and went into the room to get ready for the night. Kurenai immediately claimed the bed, while the genin were left to roll out their bags and sleep on the floor. Naruto simply took off his jacket and slipped in, as did Shino. Kurenai eyed them both for a moment and raised her eyebrow.

"What?" asked Naruto.

"I'm not sleeping in the bed with all of my clothes on. Turn around."

Naruto flushed, and managed to stutter out a "yes." before rolling over and facing away.

Hinata thought for a moment and undressed as well before getting into her sleeping bag. She ignored Kurenai's questioning glance. Tomorrow morning she'd try and let Naruto-kun see just a little bit of her—just enough to catch his interest. That didn't stop her from blushing like a cherry though.

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

**End of CHAPTER 18**

Wow...I've gotten a lot of messages about the striptease. Um, I'll add it as a oneshot at some point, I promise, so let me be! Next chapter: Finding the girl, Anko's loneliness, and Jiraiya's mad at Tsunade? Check back on Friday for the next chapter!


	19. The Mission

Disclaimer– "I really like writing novels. It's like the ocean. You can just build a boat and take off." - Denis Johnson

The Maelstrom of Konoha**-1.19**

**The Tale of a Young Boy's Ascent into the Legends**

_Alright, I know I screwed up. I'm very sorry. Not once did I think that things would get as hectic as they did, and one recent reviewer said something along the lines of, 'if I promise something at a certain time, I should learn to stick to it.' Those are my intentions, but I swear things had come up, and as always, I have to prioritize these things over this story. So again, I am sincerely sorry for the wait. -Cantor._

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

Hinata woke to the feeling on the sun shining through the window. The unwelcome brightness felt like it was burning her eyes, and with an annoyed huff, she buried herself further underneath her blanket to block out the light. Beside her, she heard someone step onto the floor next to her and then gently tap her on the shoulder through the blanket.

"Come on, Hinata. It's time to get up," Kurenai said.

Hinata nodded, not that Kurenai could see her beneath the blanket, and then stretched while she yawned. She had slept surprisingly well.

Beside her, Kurenai was just waking up Shino and Naruto, both of whom also seemed to have slept well. Shino hurriedly put his sunglasses back on, while Naruto yawned and scratched at his whisker marks. Hinata frowned. She never found out what those marks meant, and whenever she had asked anyone, they frowned at her and usually made up some excuse. She realized that despite the fact that she had spent so much time watching Naruto and learning everything she could about him, there were still things she had no idea about.

Kurenai, who was watching them all groan with amusement—it seemed that even trained ninja's hated waking up in the morning—tells them to get ready quick while she goes and sees about breakfast. She leaves the room and shuts the door behind her, but not before promising a 'world of pain' if they weren't up and out of the room quick enough, sounding for all the world like Anko did usually.

Suddenly Hinata remembered her idea the previous night to start her plan when they woke up. It was actually why she had decided to undress and sleep in her underwear, as opposed to staying dressed. She realized that Hinata had a huge amount of competition from Kurenai-sensei in the beauty department, and if Hinata never made any bold efforts, Naruto would probably never even notice her own looks. With that in mind Hinata decided to give Naruto a little bit of a peek of her, just to get his attention, and later, she'd keep his interest with what she'd packed in her bags. She yawned loudly and sat up, stretching her arms and back, all the while blushing like mad as she let the sheet slowly slip downwards. She tried not to think of the indecency of what she was doing...after all, this was for Naruto, and she'd go to any length to have him. If father ever heard of this though, she didn't know what she'd do.

Still blushing, she glanced over in the boys' direction, and her jaw dropped. Neither one of them were there! She glanced around the room and realized she was all alone. She glanced at the clock next to Kurenai-sensei's bed, and saw that several minutes had passed. How had things gone so quickly?

What Hinata didn't realize though, was that while she had been thinking about Naruto, as well as gathering the courage to make her 'daring move', the boys had gotten right out of bed, since they were pretty much already dressed, and walked out of the room, talking about what they each wanted for breakfast.

Hinata sat there for a moment in confusion, and dealt with her mixed feelings of both disappointment and relief that her plan had failed. Finally, she shook her head and dispelled all of her thoughts, before racing to get dressed and ready and hurrying out of the room. She didn't want to see what Kurenai's 'world of pain' was, especially when she had sounded so much like the crazy snake woman.

As she finally headed out of the room and down the hall into the kitchen, she could hear Naruto talking loudly with Shino over the different types of ramen. Shino didn't seem to be saying a word. Instead, he simply continued to eat the breakfast that had been place before him.

Naruto poked at his own food. "I mean, it's not that I don't like this or anything," he said. "It's just that ramen is such a better choice—for every meal."

Hinata sat at the table and thanked the mayor's wife as she placed some food in front of her. It really wasn't anything special, just an average breakfast, but she ate it with gusto. She was always so hungry in the morning.

The mayor's wife turned from the stove and smiled at all of them. "I hope you don't mind that my husband isn't here. He had to set out early this morning to settle a small issue between two neighbors."

Kurenai glanced up at her. "Thank. It's no problem. I was wondering if you could let us look around your daughter's room though?"  
The woman nodded. "Of course. I can show you right now, if you want."  
Kurenai nodded graciously. "Please."

Everyone stood up, ready to follow the woman out of the kitchen, and Hinata glanced down at her food longingly. She hadn't eaten more than a few bites. Still, it wouldn't be good for her to slack off on her duties and let her team mates do all of the work on this mission just so she could eat.

Nanase led them all out of the room to a door not too far down from the room they were sleeping in. Her hand hovered over the doorknob for a moment, before she finally heaved a sigh and opened the room for them. "This is it. I'll leave you to your work. Please just call if you need anything."  
Nanase left, leaving team 8 to look around the room. It was relatively tidy, and simple. There was a bed, a small nightstand with a lamp on it, a dresser with some makeups and perfumes next to a vanity mirror. The genin all stood behind Kurenai as the older woman looked around the room before striding over to the closet and flinging it open.

"Just a bunch of clothes." Naruto said.

Hinata glanced at him. "But they're beautiful."

Naruto shrugged. "I guess."

Kurenai pushed the clothes a side and stepped deeper into the closet. Her eyes roved around as she looked for something that the genin were unaware of before she finally stepped back out. "Alright. Well...this room seems to be relatively unhelpful. Shino, I want you to go through the house and look at the windows of the other rooms, check for any sign of someone trying to force their way in. Also check the locks on all of the doors. I think Hinata and I are the best suited to search this room for anything. Naruto, help Shino out, will you?"

Naruto nodded and walked out of the room with Shino. "So how do you want to do this?" Naruto asked.

Shino glanced over at him through the side of his sunglasses. "I believe your Kage bunshin will make this much quicker for us. While they do that, let's sit down for a minute. I would like to speak with you about something."

Naruto nodded and made just a few Kage bunshin, instructing them all to inspect the windows and doors. "Alright. What do you want to talk about?"

"Hinata."

"Oh. What about her?"

"Do not be foolish. Are you not aware of her feelings?"

"Huh?"

"Her feelings. How she feels about you."

Naruto looked at Shino for a minute, confused. "What are you talking about? We're—"

Kiba's words resounded in his head for a minute. _"Now I want you to think long and hard about the sacrifice she made for your god damn approval. She thinks she loves you, but you don't even care about her, do you? I bet you've never even noticed how she looks at you."_

"Oh..." Naruto whispered. "I'm an idiot...Kiba has…told me, more than once actually."

Shino nodded affirmatively. "Yes. Yes, you are an idiot. Now, I happen to understand the situation regarding you, Kurenai-sensei, and the woman known as Anko."

"You do?"

Shino pushed his sunglasses up. "Indeed. Since you started practicing occasionally with team 8, and sparring with us occasionally, I decided to take it upon myself to learn about you. Hinata knows as well, but she only knows about Kurenai. She does not know about the...potentially unorthodox relationship you'll be in with Kurenai and Anko."

Naruto sat in silence for a moment. "Oh...so..."

"So what do you plan on doing, Naruto?"

Naruto shook his head. "I don't know. I kind of don't think of Hinata that way."

"Then you should tell her so. What she is doing is like what you did with Sakura. The difference is Sakura at least told you she wasn't interested, where as your silence towards Hinata is giving her false hope."

Naruto nodded. "Alright. I got it."

They were both quiet for a moment, one because it was simply his nature, and nothing more needed to be said, and the other because he was in deep thought.

Naruto stood up after a moment. "My clones are done. They found a window that was probably forced open at some point."

Shino stood up as well. "Good. Let's tell Kurenai-sensei."

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

"Kurenai-sensei," Hinata called out. "I haven't found anything."

Hinata was currently going through the girl's dresser, looking for anything—a sign that the girl had packed and 'ran away', or signs that this was not a kidnapping. Kurenai was also doing this, although she was searching for signs that the girl knew whoever took her as well. So far, neither of them had found anything useful.

"No...I suppose not. I haven't either." Kurenai turned towards Hinata for a moment and then walked to the door to shut it.

Hinata looked at Kurenai warily. "What are you doing, Kurenai-sensei?"

"Well, I thought we could have a little talk. I want to tell you something Hinata."

"Is it about Naruto-kun?"

Kurenai nodded. "I want to come out into open about something. I don't think I've been entirely honest with you."

Hinata turned fully towards Kurenai now, her task had been entirely forgotten.

"It isn't just me that you are really competing against." Kurenai said.

"What do you mean?" Hinata asked.

"Well," Kurenai glanced at the door and added in a smaller voice, "There's another woman too."

"A third woman after Naruto-kun?" Hinata clarified. After a moment of thought, she looked straight into Kurenai's eyes. "Well, thank you, Kurenai-sensei, but this won't change anything. I will be with Naruto-kun in the end, even if I have to compete with two other women."

Kurenai shook her head. "Not like that, Hinata." at Hinata's curious glance, Kurenai continued. "It's you against two women together, not two separate women. As in, Anko and I."

"I don't understand."

Kurenai was finding it really difficult to explain. She began searching for an easy, but not so blunt way to say this, but suddenly a new voice fixed the problem for her.

"What she means is," Naruto said, opening the door and walking in, "Is that Anko-chan and Kurenai-sensei and I would be together, the three of us."

Shino glanced around curiously as he walked in, as if he knew something had been going on, but Naruto just walked right up to Kurenai-sensei and wrapped his arm around the woman, as if this was the most normal thing in the world.

Hinata's eyes bulged. "A-a-a threesome?" she gasped, her face turning bright red.

Kurenai shook her head furiously and brushed Naruto away from her as she held her hands up to stop that conversation right then and there. "Not like that!" she said. "We aren't really even an item yet, and I..." she trailed off; she really didn't even know what she wanted to say. On the one hand, if Anko, her, and Naruto all did get together, it was entirely possible Naruto would want that, and Anko probably would too...Kurenai wasn't so sure. She really hadn't even considered this much. In reality, Kurenai and Anko had both had the tacit agreement to not compete over Naruto simply because they were too good of friends to let something like that get between them.

Kurenai still didn't want to have to compete with Anko over this and possibly ruin their friendship. She would rather stay with Anko as friends and let Anko have him. Did that mean that Hinata was the better choice for Naruto? Kurenai turned towards the two and looked at them questioningly.

She didn't really know how long she was staring off into space for, but Naruto snapped her out of it as he waved his hand in front of her. "Kurenai-sensei?" he asked.

"There's a window that's been forced open."

"What room is it?"

"It's the room we've been sleeping in actually."

Kurenai sighed. "Well...one of us certainly should have noticed that last night."

Naruto shook his head. "Nah, it's not obvious. It doesn't look forced at first, but the lock is broken—it doesn't actually stop the window from opening or closing even if you put it into the 'locked' position."

"I see. Well, assuming that that's how they got in, then that rules out the parents or running away. Let's head outside and begin searching the town and the areas around the village for any signs now. I want Shino and Naruto to use both your bugs and Kage bunshin to cover the larger areas outside of town. Hinata and I will split up and look in the town for it. Once we're done with that we'll meet up with you guys in the woods."

Naruto was about to leave with Shino, but he stopped and turned around. "Sensei?"

"What is it, Naruto?"

She looked at him, and he nodded his head towards Hinata. "I'm going to be with Hinata for a little bit. I need to talk with her about this."

Kurenai gave a faint nod, and a small smile. Maybe Hinata was the better choice. She'd wait and see how things go. Naruto took a nearly fainting Hinata's hand and practically dragged her out of the room, leaving Shino with Kurenai. Finally, the jounin snapped back into her 'mission mode'.

"Alright. Let's start searching around the town and the surrounding woods. I want to see if we can get any tracks of signs of the kidnappers.

":"

Tsunade barged into the council's chambers. She had to deal with some stupid dispute or another. "Alright, alright, shut up everyone!" she yelled over the clamor.

Silence. Tsunade smiled. She hated how she seemed to have a perpetual headache. Shizune insisted it was the sake, but Tsunade knew it was actually this council's fault. Sake cured headaches. The council caused them.

"Alright. Let's get this started. I have more important things to do." Tsunade sat down in her chair and waited for things to begin.

Tsume and Shibo both stood up and walk in front of the council, like suppliants. Tsunade glanced at all of them, hating the script she had to follow. "Names and station?"

"Aburame Shibi. Council member. Jounin. Clan head of the Aburame."

"Inuzuka Tsume. Council member. Jounin. Clan head of the Inuzuka."

Tsunade nodded. "Good. Now," she glanced down at the paper Shizune had handed her earlier. this was her first time reading it. "Esteemed Council members '_yeah right.'_We have gathered in order to hear and pass judgment on the dispute between the Aburame and the Inuzuka clans. May we all keep an open mind and our hearts unbiased for the good of Konoha. Contender one..." Tsunade frowned. She'd been reading directly from the paper. Who the hell was contender one? The room was silent for a moment and finally it clicked in Tsunade's head. "...I mean, Aburame Shibi, please begin."

Shibi took a step forward. "The issue that must be settled began when Inuzuka Kiba, the clan heir to the Inuzuka clan, attacked the clan heir of the Aburame. Because of this transgression, the Aburame is asking that the council bear witness to this and that they allow the Aburame clan to have their compensation."

"And what is this compensation?" Tsunade asked.

"That a certain Kiba Inuzuka be punished."

"And why must the council bear witness to this dispute? It seems like this is able to be settled privately between the two clans."

"Simply because I feel that my son has been punished already for his actions, and that the Aburame's are being unreasonable." Tsume said.

Tsunade nodded. "Alright. Now, to clarify, the reason for this dispute is the recent aggressiveness Kiba has exhibited towards Shino?"

Tsume and Shibi both nodded.

"Alright. Now, Tsume, please let the council know exactly what actions have been taken by your clan."

Tsume nodded and began. "Well, as you all know, Kiba has already been kicked off of his team by his sensei. On top of this, I have temporarily removed Kiba as clan head until he is more capable."

"And this is unacceptable to the Aburame clan?"

"It is not," answered Shibi.

"Then what is it that the Aburame clan wants?" Tsunade asked.

"The Aburame clan wants Kiba to be permanently removed as clan heir. Hana is a much more sensible heir and the Aburame would approve of her. On top of this, the Aburame wish to cease all agreements made with the Inuzuka since the clans have come to Konoha."

Tsume decided to speak up. "The Inuzuka feel that this type of request for such a small offense is going overboard."

Shibi turned and was about to retort, but Tsunade held up her hand. "I want to know about these agreements and what this type of punishment would entail. Tsume, please explain."

Tsume turned towards Tsunade. "Hokage-sama, I must go through a bit of our clans' histories for it to be understood."

"That's fine. As long as it explains the issue."

Tsume nodded and spoke up so the entire council could hear. "As many of you know, the Aburame and Inuzuka clans arrived in Konoha together, and have always been close. However, there is a reason for this. Back before the clans were in Konoha, the founders of each clan were actually brothers. Both of them were interested in the idea of using animals as a way to help them as ninja, and so they gradually began to learn ways to use them. While one of them thought dogs would be more useful, the other older brother felt bugs, which were less noticeable, were better."

Shibi took it up from there. "However, the older brother was the one who discovered how to communicate with the kikai bugs, and so the two brothers were going to create a clan with this skill. However, the younger brother was loud and rash, and he lacked the leadership skills. He was also overconfident. So in the interest of the clan, the older brother held the leadership position alone, instead of sharing it with his younger brother, who was not qualified. The younger brother then went and decided to form his own clan, similar to the Aburame, and he decided to instead use his original idea of having dogs as a familiar. This is when he also changed his name to 'Inuzuka'. After the Aburame obtained land in Konoha, the younger brother used land that wasn't his. The Aburame wish for two things, both the return of these lands, or at least the proper payment for these lands which were never received, as well as the permanent removal of Kiba as clan heir, and to have Hana as the future clan head."

Tsume snorted. "You make it seem like he stole, and you also claim the older brother did all the work. The younger brother helped him in every aspect of creating the Aburame clan, from creating the technique, to obtaining the land. The land the Inuzuka currently reside on is ours by right."

Tsunade rubbed her temples, trying to ward the headache off. "Alright, so basically, the Aburame feels they own this land, and they want to take it away from the Inuzuka?"

Shibi nodded. "It has been the Aburame elder's decision. Also that Kiba be removed."

Tsunade grimaced, and behind her most of the council was talking among themselves. "You do realize how unreasonable this request is? Kiba only hit Shino in anger, and no lasting damage was done."

"This is what the Aburame elders have decided." Shibi stated.

Hiashi stood up, a signal that he wished to speak, and Tsunade nodded to him, giving him tacit permission. "I for one do not feel that this can be settled by some fairy tale from the clans. Where are the charters that Konoha has which would settle this? The land allotments to the clans? Are they written to the Inuzuka and the Aburame, or only to the latter? Asking for the council to settle this matter seems like the Aburame clan is trying to exploit the opportunity in some sort of attempt for greater power over the Inuzuka."

"As if your clan has never tried to do anything like this before to seize power," Nara Shikaku said, speaking out of turn.

Hiashi turned towards him. "We may do things to maintain our power, but it would never be anything such as this!"

Shikaku shrugged. "All I'm saying s all clans have probably done something similar to this in the past. For a clan not to do it would be very odd I think."

Hiashi grimaced. "The Hyuuga would not stoop to such levels."

"Troublesome."

Tsunade shook her head. "Alright. Either way, I think that the Aburame are being extremely unreasonable. The council will be given a few days of recess to think this over, both whether they support the Inuzuka or Aburame. Also, they will consider what is appropriate compensation for the Aburame, or if they agree with the current proposal."

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

Only a few days had passed since arriving at this town, and Naruto was beginning to get frustrated. It wasn't because of the mission. No, things had been going smoothly. In fact, they didn't even need to look for the kidnappers anymore—they had delivered a ransom note. Once the mayor paid the ransom, all they had to do was follow the man back to his comrades to find the girl, and bring both her and the money back to the mayor.

What was actually annoying him was that Hinata didn't seem to get it. Well, maybe that wasn't it. He probably wasn't being forceful enough. But with all of his memories of how he felt whenever Sakura rejected him, he couldn't really bring himself to lay it straight to Hinata. At the same time, Shino kept casting him annoyed glances, and Kurenai, whom he learned knew about his situation, wasn't helping him at all. Although she did cast curious glances at him from time to time, and he had no idea what she was thinking.

It had been when he was leaving with Hinata the other day, after he had explained the situation between him, Kureai and Anko. While he was dragging her out of the house (more or less), Hinata wouldn't stop asking him, "threesomes?"

At one point, he felt like turning and yelling a resounding "YES!", but Hinata didn't really deserve that. Anyone would be surprised, and he wasn't so sure himself what was going on between him, Anko, and Kurenai.

Instead, he sat Hinata down and gently told her that he really didn't view her in that light. A friend, maybe, but he wasn't interested in her romantically. He told her he'd love to just be friends with her, but even though he told her that, she remained determined to change his mind. She seemed to think that somehow she'd make him see her differently. It was a total reversal of the old situation between him and Sakura, although Hinata didn't ask him out every five minutes. Instead she seemed to try to get him to ask her. So maybe it was more like the Sakura and Sasuke situation.

Other than that, things had been going smoothly. Team 8 was gathered right now outside of town, each of us watching as the Mayor walked out with his jewelry and any other valuables he could get in order to pay the ransom. He walked for about a mile out, and then set the money down before backing away, so far away that the bag of money was almost out of sight. Shino had already placed several bugs with the money, so they didn't bother to stay and watch it. Instead, all four of them stayed with the mayor. This worked well because even if a member of team 8 was seen, it would appear that they were just protecting the mayor—and going along with the idea of a ransom.

All they had to do now, was wait for the money to be taken back to the camp, and Shino could lead them right there by following his bugs. They all waited for what seemed like hours, but in reality it was much short, before Shino finally nodded to all of them and signaled that his bugs were moving farther away.

They all immediately set out with Shino in the lead, and Hinata scanning with her Byakuugan.

"What's the plan?" Naruto asked, jumping alongside Kurenai.

"Depends. I want to see what type of people we're dealing with. All I can say is don't do anything I don't tell you to do. This is a very delicate situation."

"Got it."

":"

Kakashi walked down the path towards the training grounds. Behind him was Hiashi. Neither of them was very talkative. Hiashi was very formal and serious, hardly the type of person Kakashi really like to talk to. That and Kakashi was constantly reading his Icha Icha, which Hiashi pretended to despise. At least, that is what Kakashi thought. He knew that no real man hated Icha Icha, and Hiashi was just one of those men who were too unmanly to admit they liked the smut.

The path opened up to the clearing, where they found Sasuke practicing his fire jutsu. He stopped though when he saw Kakashi and turned toward him with a smirk.

"So you've finally changed your mind about teaching me?" he asked smugly.

Kakashi shook his head, closing his book with a snap. "No."

"What? Why not, the council guy is here, isn't he?" Sasuke said, pointing at Hiashi, who bristled at being called 'the council guy', but otherwise remained silent.

Kakashi sighed. "It doesn't matter. I've already made my decision Sasuke,"

"I don't understand! What happened to those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash? What do you call what you're doing to me, Kakashi?" Sasuke yelled.

There was a tense silence, before Kakashi tersely spoke. "Your new team is going to be announced today. I suggest you get yourself over to the Academy and meet them. I have nothing more to say to you, Sasuke." With that, Kakashi turned away from a stunned Sasuke and walked off with Hiashi in tow.

"Fucking trash!" Sasuke screamed at them. He stood and watched as neither made any acknowledgment of him. "Fuck you! I'm a real Uchiha, you Sharingan stealing bastard!"

Long after they were gone, Sasuke remained staring at the spot they'd been, as if his glare were going to burn a hole into the spot. Finally, he huffed and sped off towards the academy. He might as well see if this team was any good. He wasn't sure what he'd do if his team new team mates were dobes like Naruto.

Ten minutes later, Sasuke appeared in front of the academy and walked through the doors he hadn't gone through since becoming a genin under Kakashi. He walked up to Iruka's familiar door and stepped n, not even bothering to knock.

"—New dangers and challenges as genin under a jounin sensei. You're all..." Iruka paused in mid speech as he turned to see Sasuke. Several of the genin peered over their desks at him, and more than a few who remembered him were whispering among themselves.

"Ah, Sasuke. Nice of you to join us. You're here for your new team assignment?" Iruka asked, ignoring the increase in the whispering. Sasuke nodded, and Iruka smiled. "Alright, have a seat. You'll be assigned in a moment."

"Sasuke-kun's going to be on my team!" one girl squealed before another girl clamped her hand over her mouth and frowned at Sasuke. Sasuke raised an eyebrow at the frown, but didn't really think much about it.

Sasuke ignored all of them and took a seat in the front before glancing at Iruka, who coughed to get the class' attention again and assign the teams.

Not too long after, Sasuke perked up when he heard his name.

"Team 14, Sasuke, Daichi, and finally Yuriya. Your sensei will be Aoba."

Daichi walked over and sat next to Sasuke. "Hey! Remember me? Looks like we're going to be team mates this time around."

Sasuke grunted. He didn't feel like talking too much, but he wanted some information anyway. "Which one of you is the dropout?"

Daichi looked at him confused. "Huh? What do you mean by that?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Last time, I was matched with Sakura, a fangirl, and the dropout of the class, Uzumaki Naruto. The top of the class is always with the dropout to even the teams. Which one of you is the dobe?"

Daichi's confusion slowly evaporated. "Oh! That should be obvious. You are, Sasuke!" Daich clapped Sasuke on the back and laughed. "You got kicked off your team and then got refused by all of the other sensei! I'm the rookie of the year for this group. Quite a lot different from last time around, huh?"

Sasuke had a hard time not wiping that smile of Daichi's face. He was the drop out? Bullshit. "How could I possibly be the dropout? You were in the class with me and Naruto last time, and you had to repeat the academy."

Daichi frowned. "Our jounin sensei didn't pass us. It has nothing to do with our individual skill, so don't get on your high horse, Uchiha."

Just then the jounin sensei walked in, and team 14 had to get up and leave with theirs, Aoba.

"Meet me at the swings outside on the academy grounds."

The team nodded and walked out to see their sensei. When they got there, Aoba was swinging on one of the swings, looking like a little kid. He saw them and launched himself out of the swing at the highest part of his swing, and landed in front of the team. He turned around and counted the feet from where he landed to the swing.

"20 feet. Hm. not bad I suppose." The genin all sweat dropped. He turned around and looked at his students. "Hm. Well, let's introduce ourselves. I'm Aoba. I like having fun and enjoying things. I don't like people who take things too seriously and can't relax. Alright, whose next?"

Daichi stepped forward. "I'm Daichi. I like..." he tapped his chin thoughtfully. "I don't know. Girls? Training? Stuff like that I guess. I don't really know what I don't like either."

Everyone eyes Daichi and sweatdropped. What the hell? Except for Aoba. He nodded thoughtfully. "Interesting. Alright, girl person. You next."

Yuriya stepped forward and smiled. "I'm Yuriya, but I prefer to be called Yuri. I like training so I can be one of the best kunoichi in Konoha. I enjoy learning new jutsu, and I hate people who are conceited."

Everyone turned to Sasuke then, who nodded his head. "Uchiha... Sasuke. I like training. I don't like idiots and people who hold me back."

With that done, Aoba nodded and waved to them. "Well, let's meet tomorrow morning for the final test which I'll give you. Later!"

With that, he shunshined away, and Sasuke turned to head home, ignoring his new team mates. They weren't worth his time anyway.

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

The Konoha ninja all landed a branch high up in a tree overlooking the camp they had found. Kurenai scanned the area. There were just a few tents set up, and they didn't really seem to be too vigilant about guarding the tents or keeping watch, save for one larger tent that had three guards at the entrance. Hinata had already confirmed that it was where the girl was being held.

A few of them were playing dice and drinking, their weapons laid to the side, and most were eating around a fire. A few of them had started training.

Kurenai could tell the majority of them were simple footmen, barely something that could pose any trouble to team 8. Here and there though there were a few that moved with a fluidity and grace that seemed to accompany any ninja or well-trained fighter. She assumed they were ninja or trained samurai. If it was the latter she would have no trouble disposing of them, and her genin could handle the others. If they were ninja, then this could get a little messy unless they did this properly. The best way though would be for surprise, and an extreme amount of wide spread damage. Kurenai would guess that there were about ten good fighters in the group, and the rest were normal criminals, hardly trained.

The only problem was that there was no way to tell if they were ninja or not without alerting them. For all she knew, they could all be just well trained Samurai, which would make things easier. If they were indeed ninja though, then this might be over their heads. She would have to handle this like they were. She turned her team and whispered.

"Shino, can you have your bugs slowly surround this camp? I don't want them to be noticed though. Have them in hide in the grass in patches. Naruto and Hinata, wrap all of your explosive notes around your kunai, and have them ready to throw. You might as well get ready to make some shadow clones too, Naruto."

Kurenai watched as everyone did as she asked, and waited until Naruto and Hinata had enough explosive kunai ready. With that, Kurenai turned back to the camp and did a few hand seals. Nothing happened for a moment, but suddenly it seemed quite a few of the men had to go 'relieve themselves', and good 4 of them wandered off to find suitable trees to hide them.

Kurenai turned back to her genin. "Knock them out. Make sure they won't wake up anytime soon and don't let them make any warning noises to the others."

The genin nodded and all went off to their 'targets'. Shino simply had several bugs seep the chakra supply out of the men, and since they had never trained with their chakra, their stores were very low to begin with and easy to deplete. Hinata used several well placed jyuuken on the man's back, trying to ignore the fact that the man was currently trying to pee. Naruto landed behind the man and pulled out a kunai, and as he turned around to see what the noise was, he smashed the blunt end of the weapon into the man's head, knocking him out. He caught him just before he fell to the ground to minimize the noise he already made with the kunai. For herself, Kurenai simply used genjutsu to make the man believe he was unconscious. His mind made it real. That's why she loved genjutsu.

She watched as each of her genin quickly but quietly managed their own targets, and nodded in approval. Shino's bugs had already spread into the clearing in small groups so as to not be noticed. Naruto made several Kage bunshin for the group and once everything was ready, Kurenai gave some final orders.

"Naruto, make some shadow clones and henge them into these guys."

Naruto nodded and quickly went through the handseals, creating four clones that looked exactly like the men that had just left the camp.

"Alright, now, Shino, put all of your explosive kunai onto Naruto. Make sure they won't see them." Kurenai instructed.

Shino raised an eyebrow, but otherwise did as he was told. To his side, Naruto quietly commented, "You seem to be a big fan of explosive notes."  
Kurenai made a shushing gesture. "The key is that I'm not sure exactly how many of the men will be skilled fighters. Explosive notes will make it pretty chaotic, and they won't know where we are at first. We'll be able to take down quite a few of them in the confusion."

Shino nodded to her, silently letting her know he was finished. "Alright, this is simple. Naruto, you're going to have your clones walk into the camp. Get in between the groups of men. Shino will detonate the explosive notes when you're close enough. Once that's done, Hinata will throw the kunai in."

"We're going to kill them?" Hinata asked.

Kurenai glanced at her team, nodding to Hinata's question. She saw Hinata's concern though, and she realized that save Naruto, her genin hadn't killed before. Actually, Naruto hadn't either, but he had at least thought he had, and gone through the 'first kill' phase.

"From personal experience, I would say to avoid killing if you don't have to—but I don't think that will be an option here. Aim to kill. We don't want these men troubling other villages in the area."

With that said, each genin gave their own nod, Naruto with the grimmest, and drew their weapons.

The three genin nodded, and got to work. Naruto's three clones each walked back into camp from the same direction they'd left. Two of them separated and went to different groups of men that were gambling, while another went towards the food, and the fourth went near the tent that they were assuming the girl was in. Just in front, so the guards near the door would be out for the count.

Nobody really seemed to even take note of the clones. A few glanced up from their dice or cards, or food, and nodded, and Naruto had the clones all nod or wave back gruffly. Each approached the different groups, which all welcomed them, usually dealing them into the game or dishing some food.

One man approached the Naruto clone nearest the large tent, and clapped him on the back. "Yusuke! Have you seen this girl? Man, if the mayor hadn't paid the ransom, I would've loved to have some 'fun' with her, you know what I mean?" He elbowed the Naruto clone in the side, who gave a nervous laugh.

"Hey, what's wrong?" the man asked.

The Naruto clone—disguised as Yusuke—shook his head, trying to ward the man off.

As this was all happening, Kurenai got a steely look in her eye. "I want the potential rapist to be the first one to die. Shino, blow that one up."

Shino nodded, and made the seal to set off the fuse for the explosive note. The Naruto clone that was about to blow up suddenly reached over and grabbed hold of the man that he was talking to, who managed to gasp out a startled, "Hey, what the hell are you—" before the clone blew up, and the man's body blasted into the air in smaller chunks, the blood raining down in droplets onto the men in the camp.

Even as all the men in the camp realized they were under attack, Shino detonated the other Naruto clones in the camp, which blew large groups of men apart from each other; screams filled the air as men lost arms and legs, their torsos torn apart.

Behind Kurenai, Hinata turned and heaved into the grass, retching until she couldn't bring up anything more. Shino and Naruto looked a little sick themselves, but Kurenai looked on with a grim determination. She made several handseals making a huge area wide genjutsu that made the grass grow and wrap around the men in the clearing. The screaming men in camp began trying to escape as the grass grew and began wrapping around their bodies, holding them in place.

Kurenai glanced back at Hinata, who still looked too sick to be of much use. Naruto had made several shadow clones and sent them in, while Shino's bugs had immediately set to work, devouring all of the chakra they could.

The jounin's eyes found one corner of the camp which had been relatively untouched, and her genjutsu had been dispelled. Four men stared back in her direction, even though they couldn't see her or the rest of the real team 8. She at least knew who the real fighters in this camp were now though.

Hinata hadn't really gotten a hold of herself yet, but Kurenai spoke over her shoulder. "I'm sorry, Hinata, but it seems we're going to be squaring off against some men in the camp. Get yourself together. Naruto, Shino, we're going after the men in the corner have a shadow clone find the girl in the camp and the money—bring them back to the village."

With that, Kurenai threw several explosive kunai at the group of four men, who all had to dodge and separate to avoid the explosions. Naruto darted out of the trees towards one of the man and landed a vicious kick on his head, sending him sprawling back down. The man managed to flip back up quickly though and avoid a wind blades that Naruto swiped at him.

"A genin?" the man asked. "I'm insulted. Konoha sent a genin squad to deal with this? Oh well. At least you've got a hell of a sensei."

Naruto swung at him with his wind blade, but the man danced out of reach with a smirk.

"Ah. Careful now, that is dangerous. Now, let me see. Ah, this works." The man blurred out of view and appeared right behind Naruto, kneeing him in the back as he grabbed Naruto by the Neck and slammed his head into the trunk of a tree.

Naruto picked himself up and turned to see the man picking up a sword from one of the torn torsos littering the ground. He smiled as Naruto wiped a bit of blood that was coming from a cut on his forehead. "Aw, does the little genin have a boo boo?"

Naruto snarled and made a few shadow clones. "Fuck you, bastard."

Back with the group, Kurenai rematerialized behind one of the men, a tree trunk gradually appearing behind him. He glanced up and his eyes got wide when the roots suddenly wrapped around his torso. Kurenai appeared out of the trunk of the tree and drew her kunai. This was it.

"Too bad." the man said, smirking, and Kurenai had just a second to try and get away before the man exploded, much as Naruto's clones had before.

She stood up, singed from the explosion, and probably bruised from the force of it, looking around for the man. He walked out from behind the nearby tent with his hands in his pockets. "Oh? You survived that? I'm impressed. But then, it would have been a little disappointing if you died from the same ploy you used against us just a minute ago."

Kurenai said nothing, but quickly tried to use a genjutsu to make her seem invisible. Unfortunately, the man didn't even blink and brought his hands up almost lazily. "Kai."

He ran forward with a surprising speed and tried to stab her, forcing Kurenai back, even as he suddenly appeared behind her and managed to jab a kunai into her leg. She faltered, and fell down onto one knee, while he stared over her impassively.

"Well. This was unexciting. I was hoping you had something going for you other than genjutsu, which is absolutely useless against me, but even your speed is horrible. I suppose my colleagues would want me to keep you alive for some fun later, but I'll give you the mercy of death instead. This is the end."

The man raised his kunai up and was about to stab her, even as Kurenai drew her own kunai to block, when suddenly he jerked forward, and his eyes glazed over. He slumped forward and fell over Kurenai to reveal Hinata, her eyes bulging as she used Byakuugan, and her hand still in the same spot it had been when she delivered the fatal blow to the man.

"Hinata!" Kurenai gasped. Hinata looked so fierce!

"Are you okay, Kurenai-sensei?" Hinata asked, deactivating her bloodline. Kurenai nodded, and looked down at the ground. "Look at me...my own genin saved me. I'm not a very good jounin, am I?"

Hinata was about to speak, but one of the other men appeared behind her, and Kurenai just managed to force herself past Hinata, ignoring the screaming pain in her legs, and block the kunai that had been aimed for her student. Hinata immediately reactivated her Byakuugan, and immediately fell into the flowing taijutsu stances of her family, attacking the man relentlessly. He dodged them all with apparent ease however, but he had forgotten that Kurenai was there, and although her leg was making it difficult to move, she was free to use genjutsu now, and hopefully this man wasn't so resistant to it like the previous one.

Kurenai quickly went through the handseals to make the man think Hinata had changed directions, and he spun around to defend an attack that wasn't there, giving Hinata an open shot at his back. Her palm fell flat against his back, just by his kidneys, and he stumbled forward for a minute, his body slumping for a moment before he forced himself back up. Kurenai could see Hinata's eyes widening.

"What? How did you do that?" she asked.

The man turned around with a grin. "I've fought some jyuuken users before. Once you understand your own tenketsu, it's easy to counter."

He held his hand out and activated chakra scalpels before running forward and trying to cut the tendons in Hinata's arms. It was a deadly fight, with each person desperately avoiding the other's blows while trying to land their own crippling techniques on the other. Hinata however, seemed extremely frightened at the idea of fighting someone that her technique didn't affect, and Kurenai once again used her genjutsu to make the man confused, disorienting him and making him take a step towards Kurenai just as she threw a kunai, and with a dull thunk, it flew and landed straight into his skull, and Hinata watched in an odd fascination as the man fell forward onto the ground, finally dead.

"You can't heal something that kills you," Kurenai said offhandedly, as she turned to watch Shino dealing with his own enemy, sending wave after waves of bugs that seeped at his chakra stores. It was a very one-sided fight, the one man was panting, fending off the bugs that he could, while Shino watched, not even moving, and looking almost like Gaara of the Sand had when he fought.

A for Naruto, he had just managed to grab hold of the man with his Kage bunshin, only for the man to sink himself into the earth, leaving the shadow clone grasping at the grass after the man slipped from his grip. The real Naruto took a step forward and had to jump back quickly as a sword stabbed up at where he had been standing just a moment before. Naruto quickly grabbed hold of the sword, ignoring how it sliced into his hand, and yanked, at it, ripping the sword out of the ground as well as some of the man's arm. With his hand exposed, Naruto swung down with his own Kaze no Yaiba and sliced clean through the man's arm, leaving a bloody stump in its place.

A scream rose up from the earth, and the man yanked his now amputated arm back into the ground. "You little shit! I'm going to kill you! You and your entire team!"

"I don't think so," Naruto said. "I cut off your arm. How many one handed jutsus do you know? Come up and surrender, and we'll let you live."

"Oh, I can't do anything? then how about this, you little shit!" the man screamed, suddenly appearing out of the ground and stabbing Naruto in the back with a kunai so hard that his one arm went through Naruto's body as well.

Naruto coughed up blood, and smirked as he did so. "Got you," he said in a sing song voice.

The man was confused for a moment before the clone disappeared in a puff of smoke.

The man didn't even have time to speak before his head was separated from his shoulders in a shower of blood, and his headless body fell to its knees, revealing an oddly unemotional Naruto behind him.

"What was that, Naruto-kun?" Kurenai asked, seemingly calm, but her heart was racing after seeing what she thought was Naruto being killed only a few moments ago.

Naruto glanced up at team 8, "A slightly improved Kage bunshin. Not really improved, it can still only take one hit, but it shows blood."

Kurenai nodded after a moment. "I see." She glanced around at the camp, which was littered with pieces of bodies and blood, and now, after the rush of the fight, as though she were seeing it for the first time, her face scrunched up in distaste. "Let's get out of her. You got the girl and the money safely, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto nodded, ignoring the sound of Hinata beginning to retch again. Shino awkwardly patted her on the back, and he himself seemed a little pale as well. "I had two of my clones take her and the money about a mile south of here when we were in the middle of the fight."

"Good. Let's hurry over there then. Is everyone alright?"

The genin all nodded, and Kurenai smiled. "Good. Now let's start moving. I'm afraid we can't go too fast since I actually got my leg injured, but it's nothing too bad."

Team 8 nodded, and together they set out, trying to ignore the fact they were covered in blood, and focus more on the fact that their mission was over.

":"

Anko stirred her food and sighed. She was sitting in the dimly lit kitchen, her head resting in the palm of one of her hands. The clock's steady ticking echoed in the house. She glanced back at her food. Ramen. For some odd reason she had a craving for it recently. She didn't mind much, but it really didn't go with sake like dango did.

She wondered what Kurenai was up to. She and her team had left for their little mission, and Anko hadn't been allowed to go along with them. Since then, Kurenai's house seemed really empty. It seemed even lonelier than when Anko had lived alone in her apartment. At least her old Apartment didn't have so many empty rooms when she was in the house alone. Now though, it really bothered her. The silence.

She wondered if this is how Kurenai usually felt when she was at home, before Anko had moved in. Of course, she had said it would only be for a little while, but a few days turned into longer and Anko had started to get comfortable. Having Kurenai has a roommate wasn't so bad.

She thought back to what Tsunade had said in the office as she prodded at the ramen again. She really didn't know what it was about Naruto that made her like him. Originally she hadn't really thought much about anything other than the fact that Naruto wasn't one of the guys at the bar. His age or looks didn't really cross her mind, and to be honest, she didn't really know him so well at the time. As time went on though she realized that Naruto was a pretty good guy, and he'd only become more mature in both looks and attitude.

Naruto was hardworking, caring, he could be funny, although normally only in actions instead of wit. Like pranks. Still, even if she threw all of that out, she was pretty sure she'd want to be with him. In the end, who cared why she liked him? She likes him now and that's all that matters. Thinking about it is just going to confuse her.

She stood up and cleaned the dishes. She was trying her best to keep the house clean while Kurenai was gone, but she had to admit that Kurenai was a much cleaner person than Anko was used to being. While it was nice to have a clean house once in a while, Anko didn't really mind the occasional mess. It gave the house character.

There was a knock from the door, and Anko brushed her hands and fixed her coat a little before going to answer it. Probably someone looking for Kurenai. Already a few people had come asking for the woman, and Anko had come to realize that just because she had changed where she lived didn't mean people would start visiting her.

When she opened the door though, she was a little surprised to say the least.

"Hey. I haven't seen you in a while, broody sadistic woman." Ibiki said, leaning against the door frame.

Anko laughed. "Ibiki! How're you doing? I was planning on giving you a cd with tracks of different people screaming in agony, since I know you love that type of thing, but I don't have it with me right now."

Ibiki nodded, as if this was the most normal gift idea in the world. "Don't worry. I'll wait. In the meantime though, are you interested in maybe getting some sake and dango? My treat."

Anko looked back into the apartment—not really for any reason other than to give herself time to think of an answer. On the one hand, she had already eaten. But on the other, she could damn well use some laughs, and Ibiki was the closest thing to a good friend that she had, other than Kurenai.

"Alright."

":"

Jiraiya was quickly hurrying through the Hokage's tower, he was breathing heavy from running so quickly back to Konoha. He had been receiving reports from different sources when one of them tipped him off on some important news that he needed to share with Tsunade. Even more worrisome was that he had been looking for Naruto since he came back to Konoha, and he couldn't find the brat. Luckily, given who he was, no one got in his way as he barreled down the halls.

Except for Shizune, who stepped in front of him when he got near Tsunade's door. "Jiraiya-sama, what are you doing here?" she asked, trying to get him slow down.

He glanced down at her. Either she was blind and didn't see the urgency in his step, or she really didn't want him to speak with Tsunade.

"I need to speak with Tsunade, Shizune. Move out of the way."

"Tsunade-sama said to let her be for a while."

Jiraiya rolled his eyes. "Move," he said, using a wind jutsu to shove her to the side. He stepped forward and slammed the doors open, before turning around and locking the door behind him. He ignored Shizune's indignant shouting and banging on the door.

He turned around to see Tsunade blinking blearily and rubbing her eyes. "Jiraiya!" she shouted. "You better have a good—"

"Where's Naruto?" he asked, not even bothering to wait for the customary reaction from Tsunade.

She blinked. "He's on a mission, with Kurenai and the rest of his team."

Jiraiya groaned. "How far is he? I need him back in Konoha, right now."

"Why?" Tsunade asked, sensing his urgency.

"I just got bad news from an informant. An organization is hunting Naruto down, along with the other jinchuriki. Naruto is in danger."

"What? Why are they after him?"

"Not him, but Kyuubi. Tsunade, I need him back in Konoha, _Now._"

"He should be about two days northeast of here, but he'll be back in another day probably."

"No, you don't get it Tsunade. This group that's after him if made up of only S-rank criminals. Uchiha Itachi is a member, and Orochimaru used to be on as well! Give me a team NOW so we can go after them."

Tsunade was now fully awake. For some reason, she didn't even seem to be concerned that Jiraiya was ordering her around. "I can't believe this. Fine, I'll be getting a team right away. Let Shizune in."

Jiraiya strode over to the door and flung it open, letting Shizune stumble in as she had been in the middle of banging it still.

"Shizune, I want you to get Kakashi, Anko, and Gai right now for a mission. They'll be leaving immediately. Tell them to meet Jiraiya at the gates."  
"H-hai, Tsunade-sama!"

Tsunade turned to speak with Jiraiya, but realized he was already gone. She sighed and flopped down in her chair and held her head in her hands. She never realized how stressful this job could be. She reached down to her bottom drawer, desperately needing some sake.

":"

**End of CHAPTER 19**

Okay, so, let's put all of that lateness behind us. I'm afraid to say that, (and it pains me to admit this), I probably won't be able to adhere to my schedule for a while. At least, for a few weeks I won't. I'll update as much as I can, but things are going very shittily. (is that a word? should be).


	20. Narrow Escape

Disclaimer– _'I simply don't know how anyone can write at great speed, and only for the money's sake.' - Jane Smiley_

The Maelstrom of Konoha**-1.20**

**The Tale of a Young Boy's Ascent into the Legends**

_Yo. I was lost on the road of life this summer. I hope you guys have been having an awesome vacation too. -C_

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Anko laughed as she waked down the street with Ibiki towards the restaurant she frequented for its dango.

"I swear, you always know how to cheer me up, Ibiki."

Ibiki turned towards her and raised an eyebrow. "What, take you out for dango?"

Anko nodded and smiled widely. "Of course!"

Ibiki shook his head and sighed. "Man...If that's all it takes, then Naruto will have it really easy in a few years."

Anko smirked. "No, it's different for him; I'm going to work him to the bone. I've already told him, once he gets back from his date with Kurenai, he's taking me out on a date, and buying me expensive stuff."

"Isn't he on a mission now with team 8? You're calling that a date?"

"Well if that isn't one, then I don't know what is. Kurenai's probably taking advantage of the fact that she doesn't have to share right now."

"Right...all the while fighting off bandits and such. Sounds like an exciting date."

"Damn straight it is."

"And once Naruto gets back he has to take you on a mission with him?"

Anko frowned. "A date, you dumbass. Geez Ibiki, I thought you were intelligent."

The man just huffed and ignored his friend's jab. "Well whatever. What's your idea of a date then?"

"Oh...expensive gifts, some dango, maybe a massage with magic fingers."

Just then they arrived at the restaurant and were seated in a booth near a window. Ibiki sat across from Anko and ordered some dango for the two of them.

"So basically what we're doing, only we're not including the massage or the gifts." said Ibiki

"Pretty much. But that's only one out of three. You're not getting lucky, Ibiki." Anko said jokingly.

"As if I'd be interested in some woman that's scarier than me."

Anko stuck her tongue out, but sat back as they dango was put on the table. She was about to take a bite when a chuunin appeared next to the table, giving a quick salute before speaking.

"Hokage-sama has asked for you, Anko-san. It is urgent."

"Oh? What's this about?"

The chuunin glanced at her, looking anxious. "Please, Anko-san, Shizune-san told me to bring you right away!"

Anko folded her arms across her chest. "Not until you tell me what this is all about. I have a beef with that Hokage of ours, not letting me go on the mission I wanted."

Th Chuunin rolled his eyes, but spoke up quickly. "Jiraiya has asked for the available jounin to accompany him on a mission—Something about the Uzumaki kid, I don't know much. Now can we please go? It's an emergency."

Anko's eyes widened at the mention of Naruto, and she stood up and motioned for the chuunin to lead the way.

"Looks like you'll be intruding on Kurenai's date, huh, Anko?" Ibiki commented around some dango.

"So it seems. We'll continue this some other time Ibiki." Anko said, running off with the Chuunin towards the Hokage tower.

Ibiki cleaned off his plate and paid the bill, watching Anko's retreating back as he got up and left.

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Team 8 had been making slow progress. It seemed that the wound Kurenai had on her leg, along with the damage her body had taken from the explosion before that, had really taken a toll on her. Not the mention that Hinata was still unsettled from the fight before, and the team ended up making frequent stops. Naruto and Shino both put on calm faces for their teammates, hopefully reassuring them, but on the inside, they were both battling their own unease.

Kurenai carefully settled herself down at the base of a tree during one of these breaks, holding onto the still bleeding wound. The flimsy wrapping they'd put on it as a make-shift bandage was already soaked red with her blood. The jounin took her hand away and wiped the blood on her hands off onto the grass. She looked up at her genin team for a moment with a steady smile, trying to calm their nerves as much as hers. She realized she was feeling a little woozy. She'd forgotten to even check if there was poison on the blade earlier in the chaos of the fight and her concern for her team. As it was now, she couldn't be sure if she was lightheaded from the huge amount of blood she was losing, or if there really was something coating the blade.

"It's alright," she said. "Once we get back to the Mayor's house with her daughter we'll have some hot water to clean this and some clean bandages, and then we'll take our time getting back to Konoha. You guys have deserved a bit of a break after what we just went through, anyway."

Shino pushes his sunglasses up the bridge of his nose and eyed his team. Hinata was staring off into space, and Naruto was sitting up on one of the tree branches, looking down at Kurenai-sensei. Shino walked over to Hinata and put a hand on her shoulder, startling her slightly out of her daze. Her head whipped around with wide eyes, but her expression softened as Shino simply looked at her with concern. He didn't really bother to say anything...he wasn't sure what he could say to help the situation. All he knew is he needed to get Hinata to stop thinking about the fight before, if only for a few moments.

Kurenai smiled at Shino for a moment, but she turned back to Naruto when he stood up suddenly, facing the direction his clone was in.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"My clone is gone..." Naruto said slowly, as if he himself was unsure of the fact.

"What do you mean gone?"

"I don't know, something killed it." Naruto answered. "Not the girl though," he added quickly when he realized Kurenai was about to ask.

"Then what was it?" Shino asked from Hinata's side. "If it was not the girl, then clearly that means there is another person over there."

Naruto shook his head. "I have no idea...it happened way too fast for my clone to even realize what happened."

"Do you know what happened to the girl?" Kurenai asked urgently.

"Nope. She isn't in the right state of mind, I don't even know if she realized my clone died, she's..." Naruto glanced over at Hinata for a moment. "She's been in a bit of a shock."

Kurenai nodded in understand and shoved herself up off of the tree to stand. "Alright, then we need to get their quickly. Naruto, Shino, Hinata, get ready to move. Stay behind me though."

With that she turned and, ignoring the pain in her legs, she jumped up into the branches and began to speed off; the genins in tow.

As they were jumping from branch to branch, Naruto paused for a moment and rubbed his finger along a spot in the branch that Kurenai had just landed on, bringing it up to show his team the blood on his finger. They all shared a glance and then looked back to Kurenai, whose leg was bleeding profusely as she strained her legs.

Kurneai looked over her shoulder and frowned at them. "What are you doing? We need to hurry!"

"Sensei, your leg is bleeding badly," Hinata said.

Kurenai glanced down and threw them all a glare. "I've told you, it's nothing, now, let's _move!"_

Not waiting for them to catch up, Kurenai turned back and jumped off, leaving the genin to share yet another glance before they each ran off after her.

"How much farther, Naruto?"

"Not long. We should be getting there in just a moment."

"Good. Hinata, use your Byakugan, I want to know how what we're dealing with."

"Byakugan!" Hinata gazed off in the distance for a few moments before announcing to the others. "There are only two men, sensei."

"That's it? Is the girl okay?"

"Hai."

"What do the men look like?"

"They have a uniform."

"You mean from a village? Iwa? Kumo?"

"No...They have black cloaks with red clouds. One man...doesn't look human, and he has a huge sword. The other...the other..."

"What is it, Hinata? Kurenai nearly growled out.

"He has the Sharingan..." Hinata barely said, but everyone heard it.

Kurenai gasped. "What?" she asked, turning around in her shock. Unfortuantely, she lost her footing as she did so and fell forward, her momentum carrying her forward. Naruto yelled out "Shit!" and made to dive after her, but Shino beat him too it, pushing him back and dove down, jumping from several tree trunks to gain the speed to catch up to Kurenai, and catch her in his arms.

"Are you alright, sensei?" Naruto asked, jumping down next to Shino.

Kurenai nodded dumbly, looking at Shino. "Yes, I'm fine...and thank you, Shino."

Shino nodded and set Kurenai down, and they watched Hinata land down next to the group.

"I told you he would come, Kisame." said a detached voice not too far from them.

"That you did, that you did, partner" another voice chuckled.

Team 8's eyes all widened and they turned to face the two men Hinata had described. Kurenai's eyes widened as she recognized them.

"Hoshigaki Kisame... Uchiha Itachi." she murmured, not believing her own eyes.

"Oh...? She recognizes us, Itachi." said the taller of the two men. Kisame, apparently. And just as Hinata had said, he didn't look quite human. He appeared to almost be half shark, with a dark blue skin and gills, and his teeth looked like they had been taken directly from the sea predator. He had a huge sword slung over his shoulder, which was bandaged tightly. Behind him sat the mayor's daughter, unconscious.

The other man stared at them each in turn, until his bright red sharingan eyes rested on Naruto. "I see it is the genjutsu mistress of Konoha, Kurenai-san. And I suppose this is your team? A Hyuuga, an Aburame...and Uzumaki Naruto."

When none of them answered, he addressed Naruto. "Naruto-kun, you will come with us, and alone. We have no need for your team."

Kurenai shoved Naruto back, looking at all of them with fear. "Run! All of you!"

Naruto stumbled back, but he couldn't move. Those eyes...he couldn't look away from them. Hinata and Shino both glanced at each other before getting into a defensive stance in front of Kurenai and Naruto.

"I like you brats," Kisame commented. "I'll have fun tearing you apart with samehada. With that, he let the bandages fall from his sword and he got into his own stance. "Now, let's see what you two little genins can do."

"Please run!" Kurenai screamed. "You can't take on either of them! PLEASE!"

Shino and Hinata ignored her and each began to move towards Kisame, all the while ignoring Itachi, whose eyes hadn't left Naruto. Shino quickly sent a swarm of bugs towards Kisame, only to be surprised at how much chakra the man had. Kisame for the most part ignored the bugs and charged straight at Shino, who had to begin dodging and avoiding the precise attacks from Kisame's sword. Hinata saw her chance when Kisame left his back open to her, and charged in, despite Kurenai's protests. Kisame laughed for a moment, and just as Hinata was about to reach out and slam her palm into Kisame's back, the large man turned around with such speed that she didn't have any time to dodge.

His fist slammed Hinata backwards, but she kept her footing. Shino barked out a few quick orders, "Hinata, stop the Uchiha!" She turned to see Itachi calmly and slowly walking towards a paralyzed Naruto. To the side, Shino had just been slammed by a water jutsu into the trees behind them. Hinata charged forward towards Itachi. Just as her palm was about to strike the Uchiha's chest, his hand quickly snatched her wrist, stopped his attack. Without even glancing at Hinata, he twisted her arm around, so her elbow was facing up, and with his other hand, he slammed down, breaking the arm backwards. Bone broke through skin, and Hinata let out a strangled cry and yanked her arm out of his grip, falling back in pain.

Naruto snapped out of his shock at the sound of Hinata's scream, and he got into stance to defend against Itachi. He didn't see Kisame to his side however with the Samehada, about to swing down through his legs. Kurenai did though, and she jumped out in front while shoving Naruto away, taking Samehada in the back. Her face lit up with indescribable pain as the sword shredded her back. Her skin was hanging from the sides of the wound and bleeding terribly. She let out a piercing scream before she fell unconscious.

Kurenai was lying on the ground defenseless, bleeding not only from her leg now, but from the huge wounds on her back. Hinata and Shino had both taken on defensive stances, and Itachi and Kisame were both slowly advancing.

"You will come with us, Naruto-kun. We do not have to kill your teammates, but if you make this difficult, I'm sure Kisame will be happy to get rid of the nuisances."

Naruto, not knowing what else to do, quickly put his hand seals together. This wasn't the best move he could use, but it would at least slow these guys down. "Tajuu Kage bunshin no jutsu!"

Hundreds of Naruto's sprang up and charged at Itachi and Kisame. Neither one of them batted an eye as they rapidly destroyed the clones. But Naruto had made many clones, and in that instant that they were busy, two clones grabbed Kurenai and the Mayor's daughter and ran off. Naruto grabbed both Shino and Hinata, urging them to hurry and high tail it as well. Behind him, the clones were disappearing, fast. It wasn't long before they were all gone. From the clones memories, Naruto knew that he hadn't even landed a hit.

"We can't beat them." Naruto said, terrified. "We can't beat them."

"Well it seems we have to chase him, Itachi-san." Kisame said. "I'm getting tired of this."

"They won't get far."

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Kiba collapsed on his hands and knees, out of breath from his team's training. He had shown up for practice today expecting the regular team training along with team 10, but apparently Asuma's team had gone to get a mission.

So then Gai announced that they would be doing their normal routine, which was accompanied by Lee's cheering and Tenten and Neji's groans. Kiba hadn't known what to expect at first, but if the amount of exercise this team put in was their 'normal' routine, then Kiba hoped they _never_ did overtime.

"Haha Kiba-kun," Gai said as he paused to run circles around the panting Kiba. "You're flames of youth are beginning to burn brighter!"

Neji and Tenten both jogged by a little while after Gai had run off, and Tenten shook her head. "We told you to not try and keep up with Lee."

"Now I see why." Kiba panted.

Briefly Kiba wondered just what team 8 was up to at the moment. Lately he had mixed feelings about his position in team Gai and his old position in team 8. He was strangely enjoying team Gai, and he knew his taijutsu was improving by leaps and bounds, thanks to Gai's instruction. This was extremely important for an Inuzuka, after all, and Kurenai just couldn't match Gai's teachings when it came to hand to hand. On the other, Kiba missed team 8, and he still felt a bit guilty about what had happened.

He groaned as he finally caught his breath and pushed himself up off the ground. He wiped the sweat off of his forehead and got back to running, intent on at least keeping up with Neji and Tenten this time. He would make sure he improved.

Putting a bit of more effort into his running, Kiba sped up and caught up alongside Neji and Tenten. Both of them glanced at him briefly, but didn't go out of their way to start a conversation. Kiba wasn't quite sure what to make of that. While he knew that Neji wasn't very talkative, he did occasionally talk with Tenten during the team trainings. As for Tenten...well, she wasn't as vocal as Ino or Sakura, but she definitely wasn't afraid to strike up a conversation and speak her mind.

When he'd first joined the team, Kiba wouldn't have expected either of the two to speak to him, seeing as how much they didn't want him on the team. But over the next few practices, that slowly disappeared, and if Kiba had to describe how they probably felt towards him now, he'd say they were more or less indifferent to his presence on the team.

That didn't stop him from trying to get them to warm up to him.

"So, I guess you guys are my targets now," he said with a smile.

Tenten raised an eyebrow. "Targets?"

"He means instead of Lee, Tenten." Neji said, not bothering to face them.

"Yeah...well I know that I can't possibly keep up with him now, but I figure, you guys have been doing this training for a while, so if I can keep up with you two at all, then I should be okay."

Tenten gave a small smile. "I guess so, but don't get cocky. We actually _can_ do all the training. We just don't do it all because we're not crazy like Gai-sensei and Lee."

Finally, they all reached their destination and stopped their running. In front of them, Lee was already practicing his taijutsu against a clone that Gai-sensei had made, while Gai himself was waiting for his other three genin to stop in front of him. He watched them all with a huge smile.

"Kiba-kun, I have noticed that you have shown some eagerness to learn taijutsu from me."

Kiba nodded.

Gai laughed loudly. "Good! I am proud of your determination, Kiba! I have something for you which will help you're taiutsu quickly!"

"Realy? What?" Kiba asked excitedly.

Neji and Tenten, who already knew what was coming, shook their heads and wlked off. "We're going to go spar, Gai-sensei."

If Gai had even heard them, he didnt give any sign of it. Isntead, he pulled out a small box and opened it in front of Kiba. "Kiba, please wear this proudly!" He yelled, pulling out a long green suit, similar to his own and Lees.

Kiba facefaulted. "What? You can't be serious you idiot!"

"Kiba-kun, that is a most unyouthful thing to say to someone who has given you a gift." Gai said with a frown. "Now, put this on and we shall begin your taijutsu training."

"Um...no thanks. Can we just get to taijutsu practice?" asked Kiba.

"Kiba, this suit gives you maximum flexibility and freedom of movement for your fighting! Watch!" Gai said, beginning to stretch. He put his hands on his hips and placed one leg forward, before bending that need and stretching his back leg. It was an awkward sight for Kiba.

"Do you see me youthfulness, Kiba?" Gai asked.

Kiba stood, traumatized by the sight. '_Kami save me.'_

Moments later, a chuunin ran up to Gai. The Hokage wanted to speak with him.

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While team Gai was training, team 10 were all heading towards the Hokage's office to get a new mission. Asuma-sensei had said that although they'd been working out well in practices as a 5 man cell, he thought it was time that they got a mission outside of the village to truly test how well they could perform.

And so soon Asuma, Shikamaru, Ino, Chouji, and Sakura all found themselves waiting outside of Tsunade-sama's office. Chouji had already opened a new bag of chips as soon as they sat down to wait, while Asuma lit up a cigarette, making the secretary frown at him for smoking indoors. Shikamaru seemed to be sleeping, while Sakura and Ino were both talking quietly in the corner about—what else? Sasuke.

"I don't see how you can just get over him, like that" Sakura said, snapping her fingers to emphasize her point.

Ino rolled her eyes. "We've been over this Sakura. He isn't everything I thought he was."

"So you don't like him at all?"

Ino sighed and folded her arms. "I don't know. Right now I'd just say I'm open to other options."

Sakura grinned. "Well I guess this just makes my job that much easier."

"I guess so," said Ino, not really caring at this point.

"Will both of you just drop it?" Shikamaru muttered. "I'm trying to sleep, and you two just keep talking about the same thing over and over."

"Well excuse us for caring about something other than clouds," Sakura retorted.

Asuma watched all of this and shook his head. "Alright, I know I said I thought we were ready for missions, but apparently not for a C-rank like I said." Asuma sighed dramatically. "I suppose I'll just ask for some D-ranks for you guys."

Immediate silence was his reward, and Asuma had to stop himself from laughing. Damn he was good. Just then the secretary nodded towards them and let them enter the Hokage's office. Asuma thanked her politely and then led his team in.

Tsunade was new to being Hokage, but in Asuma's opinion, she was shaping out just fine. With the exception of a few awkward times of walking in on her sleeping on the job, Tsunade was doing the job of a Hokage with a professionalism and skill that pointed towards a good future for Konoha.

"Ah, team 10." Tsunade said, looking up at them. "I suppose you are looking for a mission?"

"Hai, Hokage-sama." Asuma answered.

Beside Tsunade, Shizune gave a small smile in Asuma's direction, which he returned. Shizune, Tsunade's assistant, was always friendly. "What rank mission, Asuma-san?" she asked.

"I was thinking a C-rank..." Asuma said. "That is, if my team will act like shinobi for once." he said, adding the last part of his shoulder.

"I see," Tsunade said. "Well, evidently we have a mission from a former client of ours, called Tazuna. He contacted us by a carrier pigeon that a bridge has been commandeered by a certain group of thieves, and they are demanding a toll for using the bridge. While you're there he has also promised to pay up for a former mission. The man has also confirmed that there haven't been any ninja's sighted among the group, but all attempts by the villagers to get rid of them have been unsuccessful." Tsunade glanced up at tam 10, and more specifically, Asuma. "Do you accept the mission?"

"Yes, Tsunade-sama," Asuma answered. He turned back to his team. "Pack up for a week long mission and meet me at the gates in 2 hours. Dismissed."

":"

Sasuke nearly groaned when Aoba finally walked up to his new team. Three bells were dangling from his belt. It seemed like he had to do Kakashi's test all over again. _'This is such a waste of time'_.

"Alright, well I know that Sasuke has taken this test before, but as for you, Daichi, and you, Yuriya, I don't know what your previous sensei did as a test. Still, all of you have taken the real genin exam before, so I'm sure you understand how we all stress teamwork. So while this test I'm giving you will test teamwork, I won't try to pull the trick that Kakashi did.

"And what trick was that, Aoba-sensei?"

"Well, he only had two bells, and he'd say that only two of you could pass. This would force the team to not want to work together."

The genin all nodded, and Sasuke just huffed.

"Is something wrong, Sasuke?" Aoba asked, having heard Sasuke.

"No."

"I see. Well then, let's get started." Aoba said putting a clock down. "I know Kakashi normally gives you several hours, however, since you three already know to use teamwork, I'm only giving you an hour to take the bells from me. Another rule: You must actually get the bells from me. Having teamwork won't make me automatically pass you, but not having it will mean an automatic failure. So be careful."

The three genin nodded, and disappeared just as Aoba started the clock. Aoba looked around, and decided to make himself scarce as well. He wasn't going to sit out in the open like Kakashi.

"So, what's the plan then?" Yuriya asked.

"Well, I've got an idea..."

Sasuke gave a little self-satisfied smirk as Daichi went on with his plan. It wasn't long before they had it settled and they all moved out to get themselves the bells.

Aoba smiled as Sasuke landed in front of him. "So, did you guys come up with a plan?" he asked.

Sasuke didn't bother answering as he instead activated his Sharingan.

"So you're bringing out the big guns early, huh?" he asked. Well, I guess this'll be fun. Just as he was pulling out a kunai he had to dodge to the side quickly to avoid Yuriya.

"Katon, Gokakyu no jutsu!" Sasuke shouted, shooting a huge fireball at Aoba, who had to jump up to avoid it and block several of Daichi's kunai.

"Alright, so I guess you guys are working as a team...but I don't see your plan yet, "Aboa said with a smirk.

Sasuke landed up in front of him and threw a punch that Aoba just barely managed to push off to the side with his hand. Sasuke went down and tried to sweep his legs out from under him, forcing Aoba to jump back into the air.

While he was still up, Yuriya managed to grab one of his feet and swung him out towards the trunk of the tree. He turned in midair and planted his feet against the trunk before jumping off towards Daichi, whose eyes widened and he had to quickly change from throwing a kunai into blocking them as Aoba tried to stab him.

Luckily for them, they had hoped that Aoba would move to take out Daichi, and they had prepared for this, by having Daichi replace himself with a bunshin not long after he threw the kunai, and place exploding tags near the bunshin.

Once Aoba landed near the bunshin, Daichi set off the exploding tags, and the force of the explosion pushed Aoba back towards the genin, and while he still had no control they all got ready.

Behind him they could all hear a chirping noise as Sasuke charged with Chidori, and as soon as Aoba landed Yuriya and Daichi tackled him, while Sasuke held a chidori to him

"Let us take the bells and we won't kill you."

"I'm surprised you decided to use that jutsu, Sasuke. I would have thought you'd be more careful with it after the chuunin exams."

Sasuke glared. "So you're another juunin whose going to give me shit about that?"

Aoba shook his head. "No, I understand why you used it now and I'm not lecturing. I was just voicing my thoughts. Good job, all of you, I surrender. Welcome to team Aoba."

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

Haku walked through the dimly lit halls lost in thought. She wasn't really watching where she was going, so she let out a startled gasp when she walked into someone, namely, Kabuto. She fell backwards onto the ground and looked up to see Kabuto trying not to laugh.

"Really, Haku. A ninja should be a little more aware, don't you think?" he asked, holding his hand out to her.

Haku smiled and took his hand to pull herself up. "I'm sorry, Kabuto-san. I wasn't paying attention."

"I see."

"Where are you headed?" Haku asked, noticing that Kabuto was geared up to go on a mission.

Kabuto glanced down at himself. "Ah, well Orochimaru-sama wants me to follow up on Sasuke. I'm going to be heading to Konoha in a bit and try to speak with him again. Orochimaru-sama is losing patience."

Haku nodded. "I am surprised that the Uchiha hasn't already made a decision."

"He will, don't worry."

There was an uncomfortable silence for a moment as Kabuto didn't have much to say, while Haku on the other hand was struggling with asking Kabuto something.

"Kabuto-san… I was wondering if I might see Kimimaro-kun?'

Kabuto threw his head back and laughed. "Of course, Haku. I'm sure he would be glad to see you as well. I suppose that he is the reason you're in such a daze?" he asked, fishing a key out of his pocket.

Haku didn't bother answering that but instead took the key from Kabuto's hand. "Arigato, Kabuto-san."

"No problem. Well, I'm heading out now. Till we meet again."

"Hai." Haku watched a Kabuto went down the hallway, before she turned and hurried off to the door she was looking for. It wasn't marked or anything, but Haku had been near this door so many times that she was sure she'd recognize it if the door was ever switched with another one.

Hurriedly she fished out the key and unlocked the door before quietly walking and shutting the door behind her. The steady beeping in the room, along with the slow ragged breathing of the one man in the room set a morbid tone as she walked closer to the bed and looked at Kimimaro.

Haku had first met Kimimaro when Orochimaru had found her. In fact Kimimaro was the one to carry her back to the base and help her get back to health. Haku wished she could help him in the same way, but Kimimaro's illness was far beyond her own. She placed here hand on his and smiled when she say his eyes flutter open.

"Haku," he breathed. "What are you doing here?"

"Kimimaro-kun... I wanted to see you."

"Orochimaru-sama will not be happy."

Haku frowned. "I do not care about that. Can't you see that you're all that matters to me right now Kimimaro-kun?"

He simply looked at her for a moment before relaxing with a sigh. "Fine. You may keep me company for now, but please do not get in trouble with Orochimaru-sama."

"Hai," Haku said happily, pulling up a chair to sit alongside Kimimaro.

Unaware to both of them in the room, just outside the door Orochimaru was leaning against the wall with an unreadable expression. Haku had originally been completely devoted to him, just as Kimimaro was. It seemed that slowly her loyalty to Kimimaro was becoming stronger though. He had known that the girl felt something for Kimimaro for a while, but for her to show some form of insubordination like this just to see Kimimaro was something else. For now, it wasn't a problem. He would have to keep an eye on this however.

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

Naruto had been running for ages, Behind him he had 2 clones. One was carrying Hinata, and another was carrying Kurenai. Shino for his part was running just behind them, leaving bugs and traps occasionally in hopes of slowing down their pursuers. So far they'd been succeeding, as Shino had told him that they had a fair bit of a lead on them.

Naruto nodded and motioned for them to stop. He needed a break, and he was sure Shino did as well. He placed Kurenai and Hinata down and he went to look at their wounds. Hinata's arm was clearly broken in several places. Kurenai looked horrible. On top of the wound in her leg which still hadn't closed, her entire back had been shredded up by Samehada. Naruto winced at that, since it was mainly his own fault that Kurenai had jumped in front like that.

Not far in the distance they could here several explosions.

"They're getting closer," Shino said calmly.

"Yeah. We need to move again. Shino, I want you and my clones to take the others away. Head towards Konoha, hopefully you'll run into a patrol unit. I'm going to stall them for now."

"That is illogical. They are after you. I should be the one to stall them."

"Shino!" Naruto snapped. "Do it! Now!"

"No. We will fight together. Have your clones carry them off themselves," Shino said, pointing to Kurenai, Hinata and the daughter.

Naruto glared, but in the end caved in. "Fine." He made several clones and had them all head off towards Konoha with the others. Then, he turned back to Shino. "But I'm going to do something that might need a bit of explaining."

"If you're referring to the Kyuubi, I already know about the situation."

Naruto held back his shock and nodded, just as Itachi and Kisame landed in front of them.

"So you two have decided to stand and fight for the sake of your teammates. Admirable, but we have no need to chasing you're team after we have you, Naruto-kun." Itachi said.

"Enough talking." Naruto said, focusing on the Kyuubi's power. Rage along with an otherworldly bloodlust filled Naruto, making Kisame stop midstep for a moment.

"So I guess he's going to is it now, huh, Itachi?"

"So it seems. Let's finish this before it gets out of control."

"Immolation technique!" Naruto said, willing the fire to spread around his body. And just to stop Kisame's and Itachi's advance, he quickly used a fuuton technique to catch some of the flames and blow them towards the two, forcing them to scatter.

"Interesting, Naruto-kun. If I remember correctly, that was originally an Uchiha technique."

Naruto snarled and quickly used the Berserker technique. Before he'd even finished though, Kisame stepped forward and slammed Samehada down, forcing him to jump and dodge out of the way. As soon as he landed, Itachi was there, only as soon as Naruto tried to hit him, he realized it was an explosive clone, only too late. The explosion forced him back and Naruto had to dig his feet into the ground to stop from sliding too far away.

Shino for his part had already sent his bugs out after the real Itachi, forcing the Uchiha to use several fire jutsus to keep the bugs at bay.

"Kisame, take care of the Aburame," Itachi instructed. "I will deal with Naruto-kun."

Naruto snarled and charged at Itachi, ignoring the handseals Itachi sped through. Itachi watched calmly as Naruto got closer before he held out his hand and pointed at Naruto. "Raiton: Lightning."

The bolt of lightning traveled straight from his finger and into Naruto, forcing him to lose control of his body for a few moments from the shock. His world seemed to slow down while he floundered, trying to keep his footing and keep charging at the Uchiha. Itachi, with a speed his eyes couldn't even comprehend, took a step forward—and ignoring the flames surrounding Naruto's body, slammed his palm into Naruto's nose, smashing cartilage and bone alike. Blood spewed out of his nose like a fountain, running down his face, to his mouth and onto his shirt. He lost control of his immolation jutsu.

Naruto grunted and fell backwards, barely managing to keep focus and recover in time to block several kunai aimed for his chest. Even then, the moment he brought his own kunai down from block, Itachi was there again, kicking him full in the stomach and then grabbing his neck as he doubled over, only to throw him face first into the ground.

To his side, Shino was busy avoiding Kisame's sword swings while trying to tire the man down with his bugs. The problem was that Kisame seemed to have an inexhaustable amount of chakra. Every time he managed to take some from Kisame, more would fill him up. All Shino could figure out was that the sword was somehow helping him.

Shino stumbled for a moment and his eyes widened when he saw Kisame's sword about to stab through him when an armored toad appeared in between the two and blocked the sword. With Naruto, several snakes had sprung up and attacked Itachi, who quickly dodged and cut the snakes in half with a kunai. He turned towards the trees instead. "Jiraiya, Anko, Kakashi, and Gai," he said calmly. "It seems as though we will have to retreat for now, Kisame."

Kisame grunted and pulled his sword away from the toad, jumping away just before the toad counter attacked. "And it was just becoming fun."

"Oh, I don't think you'll be getting away that easy," Anko said, summoning a larger snake.

Itachi turned calmly towards her, not showing any unease at being surrounded by a legendary sannin and some of the top jounin from Konoha. "Unlike with Naruto, I have no qualms about breaking you," he said, facing Anko. "Tsukuyomi."

Everyone watched as Anko, who was about to charge forward towards Itachi, suddenly fell screaming. She writhed on the ground in obvious pain, oblivious to any of the world around her. Her hand went up near her neck and clutched her cursed seal, digging into it with her finger nails. The seal had slowly begun to spread.

Jiraiya quickly barked out some orders. "Kakashi, Gai, get the genin. I will handle Anko. Kuchiyose no jutsu!"

Seeing the Konoha team preoccupied, the Akatasuki members sped off, promising to return for Naruto eventually.

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**End of CHAPTER 20**

Alright, next chapter: Returning home with team 8. team 10's mission in wave, Sasuke's team, and- the date with Anko? But what about the tsukuyomi?

I don't know when it will be up. I'll update my biography when I think I know however.


	21. Dawn

Disclaimer– "Unprovided with original learning, unformed in the habits of thinking, unskilled in the arts of composition, I resolved to write a book." – Edward Bulwer-Lytton

The Maelstrom of Konoha**-1.21**

**The Tale of a Young Boy's Ascent into the Legends**

_I offer my sincerest apologies to everyone who has read my writing and has been waiting for an update. It was not my intention to abandon this. Life caught up however and I have to admit I even still I am very busy. Recently, when I remembered this fanfiction and organized the determination to get back to it, I reread over my past work. I must admit my emotions are a little mixed about how I feel about my story. Some scenes I feel I wrote well, while other things, given the chance, I would change completely._

_However, in my best effort to remedy it, I can only offer to write better future chapters. I may make small tweaks here and there to earlier chapters, but nothing that will change the overall story. I'll be trimming the fat, so to speak. If anyone who was interested in this work still wishes for me to continue this story, please let me know with a PM, a review, or whatever way you are most comfortable with contacting me._

_When and if I do update, it will hopefully be within the next two weeks or so. I will want to read over my story and refresh myself with what I was doing, so that the previous chapters will flow into this new one seamlessly. Please bear with me only a little bit longer – C._

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'_This village never changes.' _Shinobi mingled with villagers, enjoying their days oblivious to the dangers that lurk just around the corner. Children played in the streets and ran in the woods completely unaware to the danger in their midst. You could walk down the street in a henge, and nobody would think twice. For all they knew, the henge was just an academy student fooling around. No reason to stop them and question.

Kabuto smiled to himself, pushing his glasses up. His henge smiled along with him, which a young civilian woman walking by confused as a greeting. "Beautiful day isn't it?" she asked in passing.

'_A beautiful day it is indeed.'_ Just weeks ago this village had been brought to its knees by Orochimaru-sama. The once strong bulwark of the land of fire, the monument to Senju and Uchiha strength, had been nearly destroyed. Even now, work was still being done to repair damages, and doubtless the new Hokage, that bitch Tsunade, was still adapting to her duties. While the fact that Konoha was still around was a disappointment, the very fact that they had come so close strengthened Kabuto's faith in Orochimaru, and brought a bounce to his step.

The bustle of the town was, in a way, a source of security of Kabuto. In the constant activity of people walking the streets, the houses freshly painted in bright hues, one man walking hardly stood out. The difficulty had been earlier, when he was trying to get into Konoha itself. Had it not been for his extensive studies of Konoha security patrols, he would never have been able to make it this far.

Kabuto recognized many of the people he saw while walking through the dusty streets. He had spent so long in Konoha, posing as a simple genin, it was almost like returning home, and yet at the same time this was not his home, but the enemy.

The crowds thinned as he got closer to the designated training grounds. Bright wooden houses gradually gave way into luscious wooded fields, providing privacy for teams to train and to practice dangerous techniques away from highly populated areas. Kabuto knew that he'd find Sasuke in one of these training grounds. But oddly, when he went to what was once used as team 7's usual haunt, he didn't find the team. He wandered the grounds for some time, passing various teams training, before he finally found Sasuke in field with a different team. _'Interesting. Did he get reassigned?' _Kabuto smiled. If Sasuke had been reassigned to a new genin team, this made his job even easier.

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For all of his easy going mannerisms, Aoba was a tough instructor. The team had met in the afternoon for training, starting with several laps around Konoha.

"Breathe in and out deeply," Aoba sad, running beside them. "If you breathe wrong, you'll start to run wrong. Keep pace!"

Sasuke tried to keep his breathing even. He was getting tired. His legs were burning and his feet felt numb as he and the rest of his team ran lap upon lap around Konoha. Three laps and they would get a 10 minute break before starting again. Apparently, Aoba was a big fan of Gai's training methods. For that, at least Sasuke was grateful. He had, of course originally wanted to join Gai's team.

His side began to cramp, and to his side Sasuke could see Daichi just barely keeping up, and Yuriya struggling behind them. Briefly Sasuke wondered if they were ever going to do any other training today. It had already been over an hour.

"Break time." Aoba announced, stopping and watching them all as they slowed down and finally stopped as well. Sasuke hunched over, his hands on his knees, gasping for air. Daichi flopped unceremoniously onto the ground and rolled onto his back. Yuriya did as well, pulling out her water and drinking deeply. They were all covered in sweat.

Sasuke wiped the sweat from his face with his shirt, and sat down on the ground to rub his legs, trying to get some sort of blood circulating back into them and get rid of the numbness.

"Alright, we're heading back to our training grounds," Aoba announced. "And then we will spar a bit. I want to see what we're working with as far as our abilities go. Move it!"

Sasuke grunted as he pushed himself up off the ground and followed Aoba at a jog. The final bit of running was quick, and compared to the previous running, not that bad. It didn't change the fact that he was still exhausted though. When they reached the training grounds, Aoba turned and pointed to Yuriya and Sasuke.

"You two. I want you both to spar first."

Sasuke snorted. Something that wasn't missed by the new genin.

"What's wrong with fighting me? You think you're that much better?" she asked, her eyes narrowing.

Sasuke didn't bother answering. He didn't need to. He was better than her, and was going to show it. To the side, Daichi sat near Aoba and cheered Yuriya on as she walked out with a short bo staff.

"Come on Yuriya! Beat his ass!"

Yuriya charged forward, swinging her staff. Sasuke smirked, planting his feet. She was way too straight forward. She went in forward, stabbing with the butt of her bo staff, but Sasuke was quicker. His hands flashed out, grabbing her arm and yanked as his other foot planted near hers. With a startled gasp Yuriya dropped the staff as Sasuke threw her down to the ground. She grunted on the impact, but managed to dodge and roll away as Sasuke kicked down, nearly hitting her in the chest.

She got up and immediately went in for close fighting, using just taijutsu to try and wear Sasuke down.

For his part, Sasuke wasn't sure why she did this. She was too slow, even without his Sharingan. Her fist came close and he stepped in to the side, so her fist flew past him, and kneed her in the stomach. She doubled over, and he brought his elbow down on the back of her head, sending her back down to the ground again. He pulled out a kunai, pinned her down on the ground, and held the kunai up to her. She couldn't move.

Yuriya tapped the ground, giving up, and Sasuke climbed back off of her. "You're too slow."

Yuriya glared at him, but otherwise said nothing, and walked back over to Aoba, who tapped Daichi on the back. "Alright, you're up."

Daichi smirked and stretched a bit before walking over to Sasuke. "Let's use ninjutsu too," he said.

Sasuke nodded, grinning, and used his Sharingan. Best to at least see if he could glean any techniques from the other genin before he thoroughly beat him too.

This time, Sasuke was the one to attack first. He darted forward, going through the hand seals quickly to use his fire technique. "Gokakyu no jutsu!"

Daichi dived and rolled to the side to dodge the fireball, and had to quickly bring up his blade to block several shuriken that Sasuke had thrown. Off to the side, they both were aware of Aoba telling them to take things easy.

Daichi raised a kunai to block Sasuke's stab and they each gritted their teeth as they struggled to overpower the other. Daichi brought out a second blade, almost like a short sword, with his other hand and quickly stabbed up towards Sasuke, who had to jump up and away to avoid being hit.

Both opponents stared at each other, neither moving, when Daichi suddenly threw a kunai with an explosive tag. Sasuke jumped back away, and as the explosion went off, Daichi quickly hid himself in the ground with an earth technique.

As the smoke cleared, Sasuke looked around Daichi. He'd lost sight of him. Suddenly, he felt the earth beneath him move, and Daichi's hand shot out to grab his leg. "Doton, Shinjuu Zanshuu no jutsu!"

But Sasuke was too quick, his Sharingan allowed him to react in time, and he quickly kicked Daichi's hand off of him and leapt back. Daichi followed him out of the ground, charging him even as Sasuke inhaled deeply for another fireball attack.

Daichi's eyes widened, and he barely had time to dodge the fireball. Even as he did, Sasuke was there, raining blows down on him. Daichi barely managed to block as Sasuke's fist kept finding their way past his arms and hitting him in the ribs, and then the back.

As Daichi fell to the ground and the fight seemed to be over, Sasuke felt the peculiar feeling of eyes on his back, and turned around to see who was watching him. Only, when he looked, no one was there. He scanned the tree line, positive someone had been staring at him, only to be rudely awoken by getting hit in the ribs.

Daichi had fallen and grabbed onto Yuriya's staff, and thrust it backwards behind him under his arm. The wood hit, and Daichi was rewarded with a loud grunt from Sasuke. In that moment of pause, Daichi stood and with his full force swung around and struck Sasuke in the side, and then again in his leg.

Sasuke fell, and just managed to roll away from Daichi stabbing him with the end of the staff, before Aoba cut in.

"Okay, okay, this is way too much. I think we will call this one for now. Sasuke, I expect better of you. Pay attention during a fight. I think we should probably call this a day, and pick up where we left off tomorrow."

Daichi looked over at Sasuke with a smug look in his face. Clearly, he thought he'd won.

Sasuke knew better. Daichi was panting, tired, and very nearly out of chakra. His few lucky hits had been just that, lucky. He fumed as he walked through the dimly lit streets back to his apartment. Daichi's attitude infuriated him. He gingerly pressed his side where Daichi had hit him, and had to stifle the groan that came from pressing the tender flesh. He'd be so bruised and stiff in the morning he'd have trouble moving around comfortably, much less doing any training.

As he hobbled through the Uchiha compound, stewing on Daichi's arrogance, Sasuke didn't even notice that the window next to his door was ajar. He fumbled for his keys, and after a few more moments, managed to fit the key into the lock and open the door.

He might not have noticed the window, but the light on in the other room certainly caught his attention. All thoughts of Daichi were roughly shoved aside as Sasuke slipped into focusing on finding an intruder. He slowed his step, pulled out his kunai, and began to creep towards the lit room.

Behind him, the front door slammed shut, and Sasuke turned, hurling the blade at the intruder, only to hear the dull _thunk_ of metal meeting wood. Kabuto stood, his eyes fixed on Sasuke. Not once did he glance at the kunai quivering in the door next to his head.

"Careful now, Sasuke-kun. Surely this isn't how you treat all of your guests?"

"What are you doing here?"

"What a curious question! Surely you didn't think you'd seen the last of me on that day of the attack?" Kabuto locked the front door and casually, but slowly, approached Sasuke; as though he didn't have a care in the world.

For every step Kabuto took, Sasuke shuffled backwards, keeping his eyes steady on the Oto-nin. But because of his leg injury, he could only hobble, one leg gripping his throbbing leg, while the other continued to shuffle. Despite being exhausted from training all day, he activated his Sharingan. He knew he was out of his depth. He was tired, hurt, and facing an enemy with much more experience. And then, Sasuke felt his back hit the wall. The wood paneled walls, normally something that seemed to provide such safety, sounded so hollow to his ears now.

"It looks like you were injured in your training earlier, Sasuke-kun. Is this what you've come to expect now in Konoha? To be tossed around from team to team that doesn't want you, treated like a dangerous person, and teammates who've only just gotten out of the academy?" Kabuto paused right in front of Sasuke, leaving inches between them. "How you're parents would be proud."

All the fear that had been welling up in him evaporated at that. "Shut up!" Sasuke yelled, slashing at Kabuto with his kunai. In his rage, he'd accidentally put his weight on his injured leg, and faltered. Kabuto calmly sidestepped the knife and snatched it out of Sasuke's hands like a child, before backhanding him, knocking his head back into the wall, and pinning him there with his own kunai against his neck. He was faster than he could keep up with his Sharingan.

"Now now, Sasuke-kun. I'm just here to talk. After all, I could barely come talk to you while you were training, could I?"

"That was you?"

"Of course. Orochimaru-sama is so very curious as to why you haven't come to see him yet. So he sent me here to check in on you. Surely you don't think that jounin idiot here is stronger than a Sannin? The very man who killed the third Hokage, and fought toe to toe against both Jiraiya and Tsunade?"

Sasuke glared at Kabuto, not saying anything.

"Orochimaru-sama knows about Itachi, Sasuke. He knows where to find him, even."

At this, Sasuke gave Kabuto his attention. Kabuto smiled, fixing his glasses with his free hand. Orochimaru had been right, Sasuke would be easy to manipulate. Sasuke simply needed to be convinced that there wasn't anyone as strong as Orochimaru in Konoha to train him. Add in the fact that Orochimaru knew where to find Itachi, and would quite possibly have no qualms about teaching him deadly techniques like the Chidori… well, Kabuto hardly had to do any work. A few well spoken words and he could leave.

Kabuto removed the kunai from Sasuke's neck, and turned the hilt towards the leaf-genin, handing it back to him. "If you truly wish to become stronger, Sasuke, and stop wasting your time here with the leaf nin, you need only leave the village out of the northern gates in two weeks. Orochimaru-sama's men will be there waiting to take you to Oto."

With that, Kabuto shunshinned out of the house, leaving Sasuke to slump down against the wall, overwhelmed with fear, shock, and relief at still being safe. He hardly felt the dull throb of his leg anymore.

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Naruto felt like they had been running for hours before Jiraiya finally landed on a tree branch and held his hand up to halt. Beneath him was an open clearing with a stream nearby. It had only been minutes. They set Kurenai down, while Naruto and Shino both pinned down Anko, who had been screaming in pain and struggling most of the way. Jiraiya pulled back her jacket to see the base of the curse seal near her neck.

He quickly reached behind him and grabbed a storage scroll, opening it up and summoning the items from it, revealing a set of ink and brushes. Another scroll he unrolled and handed to Gai, who used to it to summon bandages for Kurenai and Hinata.

Naruto stared in fear at Anko, who was writhing on the ground in pain. She was hoarse from screaming, and while Shino and Naruto struggled to hold her down, Kakashi and Gai guard the area while Jiraiya studied her, his calm expression attesting to the experience he had on the battlefield. Jiraiya showed no sign of his usual perverse antics. His brows were furrowed as he quickly picked out a brush and began to write signs over Anko's cursed seal.

Naruto had no idea that Anko had a curse seal. He had noticed the marks before, but somehow had not equated them to Sasuke's. He berated himself for not knowing something so important, but then questioned what would have change if he had known.

Despite the situation, Naruto couldn't help but be curious about the markings Jiraiya was drawing with such care. "What are those, sensei?"

Jiraiya spared him a glance while he wrote. If he noticed, or cared that Naruto had finally called him sensei seriously, he didn't show it. "Seals. This is a type of fuinjutsu that will contain the curse seal. The last thing we want is to let it overtake her. Orochimaru's seal isn't a joke."

Naruto wanted to ask more, but realized it wasn't the best time, given the situation. Out of a group of nine, four were injured. Naruto and Shino were, struggling to hold Anko down while Jiraiya painstakingly took care of her. Kurenai and the mayor's daughter lay unconscious on the ground, while Hinata nursed horribly broken arm. That left Kakashi and Gai to guard against an attack that might come at any moment. If Itachi or Kisame were to return, there was no telling how much damage they could cause.

This must have been on Jiraiya's mind, because he glanced over at Shino. "Boy. You're an Aburame, are you not?"

At Shino's nod, he grunted. "Good. I want you to spread out as many of your bugs as you can right now. If you get any sign of those two returning, any sign at all. You tell me. Got it?"

Shino nodded again, and moments later, a swarm of insects went out to the surrounding trees. Kakashi followed suit, summoning his dogs and sending them out as sentries. "If any of them bark," he said, uncovering his sharingan, "get ready for trouble." Once he was sure the dogs would give some warning, he started a fire and brought water from the stream over to boil. They would have to wash Kurenai's wounds before dressing them properly.

The day had passed, and the sun was going to set soon, making Jiraiya's work that much more difficult. He leaned in to inspect his writing before nodding affirmatively. He seemed pleased. Doing sealwork by the light of a fire created plenty of opportunity for mistakes in writing seals, but so far so good. He put his hand on his seal and poured some chakra into it. "Seal!"

The intricate script grew red before narrowing down and enclosing Orochimaru's curse seal. The markings over Anko's body finally stopped spreading, and Naruto and Shino began to relax.

"Don't move!" Jiraiya snapped irritably. "Hold onto her. I'm not finished."

Naruto and Shino held onto her again making sure she stayed still while Jiraiya dipped his brush into another ink and began writing over his previous seal. "All we've done is stop the seal from spreading, but we need to make sure that it recedes before we can rest at all," he explained.

The moments dragged on, and Naruto could hear Gai working on Hinata's arm. As a taijutsu trainer, he did have some experience with setting bones and splinting the arms, but it wasn't the best compared to a medic. It was all they had though. For Kurenai, all he could do was wrap some quick bandages around her wounds and cover up what he could to keep dirt out. For her leg, he quickly tied a bandage around her thigh to make a tourniquet. They would have to wait for the water before they could truly treat her. Naruto tried to ignore the shade of red slowly seeping through the bandage. She was losing a lot of blood.

It was a full half-hour before Jiraiya finished his second seal. He sat back with a sigh, wiping his forehead. "Seals always exhaust me," he announced. Then the sun had fully set, leaving their makeshift camp dark save for the small circle of light around the fire. While he had been working, Gai and Kakashi had gently moved Kurenai near the fire and Hinata sat nearby, watching worriedly. Kakashi set to making food, while Gai had taken the water off to cool before cleaning Kurenai's wounds.

Even though so much time had passed since seeing Kisame and Itachi, they did not let their guard down. Every rustle of the leaves, every branch that swayed and every bird that took flight in the distance was a potential sign of a threat. The trees loomed ominously as their shadows stretched their trendily fingers towards them. A rabbit leapt out of a bush, probably scared into flight from the dogs, and Kakashi's head whipped around to stare back down the tree line where the rabbit had come from. Everyone stayed still, ready for the slightest sign of danger.

Naruto drew a deep breath he hadn't realized he was holding when Kakashi finally turned back from the trees and walked over to the fire. Across from him, Naruto could feel more than see Shino relax as well. While Kakashi took a break from using his Sharingan and set aside rations, Hinata took her eyes off Kurenai and used her Byakuugan occasionally to check their surroundings.

In the hazy firelight Naruto could hardly see what Gai was doing, but what he make out of Kurenai's wounds left him feeling sick. Her back was shredded, her flawless creamy skin torn and raw from Samehada's rough edges. Caked on blood and dirt loosened and began to run down her sides as Gai tried to be gentle about washing the wound.

Free from his duty of holding Anko, Naruto gently laid a blanket over her and went over to kneel beside Gai, laying his hand on Kurenai's. The wound on her back was raw; her skin was hot to the touch. She was burning up. He grabbed a cloth and soaked it in the water before laying it on Kurenai's head. Jiraiya, finished with taking care of Anko, came over and inspected her. "She already has a fever. This isn't good. The longer we're stuck here taking care of them, the more likely we'll be sitting ducks for an ambush. Gai, you've done enough. Let Naruto finish bandaging her, I need you and Kakashi to be ready in case we are attacked tonight. You both will also have first watch while we sleep. I will take second, and then the genin.

Gai nodded; his face serious. He, like Jiraiya, lost all of his usual boisterous antics when in the face of this crisis. He glanced over at Kakashi, who handed him food he had just warmed in the fire. "Thank you, Kakashi."

Kakashi looked up, surprised. This was the first time Gai had spoken to him since he had apologized back in Konoha. Gai had already turned away though and went to sit by the trees to eat. Kakashi nodded to himself. It would be too assuming to think Gai had forgiven him so suddenly. This was a mission; ninja had to put aside their differences. Still, he could hardly believe how glad he was that Gai had at least spoken to him. He was surprised how much he missed Gai's friendship.

Still, he was determined to fix his friendship with Gai if he could. Out here on a mission, perhaps Kakashi could speak to him privately. Kakashi never meant for Sasuke to use such a devastating attack on Lee, whom Gai saw like a son. Earning Gai's forgiveness wasn't going to be easy, but Kakashi was ready to beg for it if that's what it took. Still, he would have to wait until they kept watch before pressing anything. Right now, it was more important to make sure camp was set and secure, everyone ate to get some energy, and that the injured were taken care of.

Off to the side he heard a groan. Everyone turned to see the mayor's daughter's eyes begin to flutter open. She sat up slowly, and opened her eyes fully, taking time to look at her hands which were unbound. So were her feet. Finally, she turned her eyes from herself to the others, taking in the group of ninja around her. Her eyes widened in shock, before settling on fear. Her mouth widened into a scream.

Jiraiya was there in a second, faster than Naruto could blink. He clamped his hand over her mouth and with his free hand gestured soothingly, shushing her. The girl reflexively pulled back, fighting to create some space between Jiraiya. The older man let her go as she scrambled backwards, still gesturing with outward palms to calm her down. At least she wasn't screaming.

"You're safe. We're not going to hurt you girl."

She still stayed back just beyond the firelight. Naruto didn't blame her. Last she probably remembered she was with Naruto's clones, which had been killed by Itachi and Kisame, and before that, she was in that camp, being held captive.

Jiraiya eyed her, pausing midstep. He didn't want to scare the girl by approaching her too quickly. He turned to point at Kurenai and the genin. "Kurenai-san over there, by the fire with the bandages, leads team 8, consisting of the girl, and the two boys. The blonde one's name is Naruto. Their team rescued you from the bandits that were ransoming you."

The girl looked at each of them in turn, her eyes lingering on Naruto for moments longer than the others. "Where am I? Where are my parents?"

"We had to make camp for the night. After rescuing you, Kurenai-san's team was attacked by other ninja. My team came in and helped out their team, but in the process Anko, the other woman over there," Jiraiya pointed behind him as he spoke, "was injured as well. We only just made camp and managed to tend to everyone's…injuries. We will take you to your parents tomorrow."

The girl was quiet, and held her arms in front of herself, as if to guard herself from Jiraiya. Kakashi set some food aside and calmly walked up to the girl, offering her the food. "You should eat," he said quietly. "I doubt you've eat at all today."

The girl eyed it warily before grabbing it and taking a tiny, experimental bite. Kakashi handed her some water, which she grabbed and drank deeply. Her next bite was much larger.

"Don't eat too fast girl," Jiraiya said. "Take your time so you don't get sick. When you're done we can talk some more if you'd like. He walked to his bag and pulled out a scroll, unsummoning his sleeping supplies. The girl gave a small jump at the items appearing so suddenly, but other than that, gave no sign of shock. Jiraiya picked out his blanket, and handed it to the girl. "Here. Take it."

The evening passed slowly. They sat in a circle around the fire, the girl joining them later as her trust in them grew, and the blanket wasn't enough to keep the evening chill off of her. She scooted up to Naruto.

"The man said your name is Naruto?" she asked.

Naruto nodded. He'd been taking care of Kurenai and keeping a careful watch over Anko as well. It was painful to see the two women in pain and in such a mess. Kurenai's bandages were stained red, but otherwise most of the bleeding seemed to have stopped. In his hands he held a sedative tea that Jiraiya had made from some herbs nearby, which he carefully poured into her mouth. Even unconscious, she drank thirstily.

"I remember you taking me out of the tent," she said, watching him take care of Kurenai. "Thank you."

Naruto smiled. "Of course! Although it is thanks to everyone here that you're safe. Shino, Hinata, and Kurenai-sensei here all got you away from the bandits."

The girl looked at each of them in turn as Naruto named them. "Thank you," she said.

Shino nodded, and Hinata, sitting next to him, smiled.

The girl looked back at Naruto. "I thought I saw you die afterwards."

Naruto frowned. "What?" He thought for a moment, confused. "Oh, you mean my clones," he chuckled. "They are copies of me that I can use to fight and get other things done. After they were killed though, we just managed to get you away from the other two ninja. And then Jiraiya, Kakashi, Gai and Anko saved our team."

At this, Naruto looked at Jiraiya. "How did you know we needed help, anyway? And why did they want me? They specifically wanted me to go with them."

Jiraiya snorted. "I have an extensive list of sources that tipped me off to their location. The fact that you were there was just a coincidence. Next time don't pick fights with S-class criminals."

Naruto narrowed his eyes. He knew Jiraiya was hiding something, coincidences like that just didn't happen. He caught Jiraiya's eyes, and the older man gave him a look that he'd talk later.

Not much more was said, and Naruto prepared for sleep. He made sure Kurenai and Anko were both covered, and eagerly climbed into his sleeping roll. The stress of the day had exhausted him and the others, and it wasn't long before sleep came to him.

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Kakashi stared out into the forest. Usually late night watches were quiet. That was to be expected. But the quiet in the camp right now was unnerving. Gai stood feet away, watching in the other direction. Normally he would talk; challenge Kakashi to some silly game, or something. But Gai was stone faced and silent, ignoring Kakashi.

Kakashi sighed. How had things gotten like this? To think that Sasuke's decisions could affect him so much. _'No, not just Sasuke's decisions. You decided to teach him Chidori in the first place after all.'_

Kakashi grimaced beneath his mask. He had done wrong. But now that he realized it, it was too late. He had ruined his friendship with Gai it seemed, and to be truthful, Gai was his only 'friend'. Obito was gone, Rin was gone, and now all Kakashi had was his Icha Icha and Gai. How many people would Kakashi fail?

He turned around, giving up on that portion of the watch, and stared at Gai's back. He had to make Gai at least acknowledge him somehow.

The other man, feeling Kakashi's stare, looked over his shoulder. "You should be keeping watch Kakashi," he said gruffly.

'_So serious. So unlike Gai.' _Kakashi thought. He had to break through somehow.

"I am sorry, Gai." He would have to listen to him. "I know you do not want to talk to me, or probably even keep watch with me. But I miss your friendship. I made a mistake. I put blind faith in a genin to handle my own technique."

"An assassination technique." Gai added.

Kakashi's shoulder slumped. "Yes. It is one of my bigger mistakes."

"A monumental mistake, Kakashi." Gai snapped.

"I hope that someday you will be able to forgive me Gai." Kakashi grunted. "It's time we wake up Jiraiya and head to sleep."

Kakashi turned and went to wake the older man, who nodded dumbly and stretched before going to check on Anko and Kurenai. Kakashi went and laid down, depressed as ever at his loss of his friend. Minato-sensei, Rin, Obito….Gai. Surrounded by people in the small makeshift camp, Kakashi was alone.

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

Sakura smiled as team 10 found themselves back in the land of the waves. It had not been that long ago that she'd been here, fighting Zabuza and Haku alongside Kakashi, Sasuke, Naruto and Anko. Whatever difficulties she'd experienced back then had faded, leaving behind the fond memories of overcoming the struggle, of training, and finally, the smiles of the villagers as they waved goodbye.

Asuma led the way, surprisingly seeming to know exactly where he was headed. He passed many doors, walking the streets with team 10 until he finally stopped at one particular house, which Sakura recognized as Tazuna's.

Asuma went up to knock, but stopped when a voice shouted behind them. "Sakura!"

They turned to see an older man waving to them with a huge smile. It was Tazuna. Sakura smiled and waved back as he hurried to catch up to them. "I had no idea they'd send you back! It has been awhile, how are you? And where are the others?" The questions flowed out of him like water, and Sakura could only smile, not even able to get a word in edgewise. Tazuna finished and turned towards Asuma. "I don't believe we've met. I am Tazuna."

Asuma nodded. "My name is Asuma, and this is my team, Shikamaru, Ino, Choji, and of course you've already met, but Sakura as well."

"So Naruto and the others aren't here?" Tazuna asked with a frown.

They all shook their head. "No, the teams have been rearranged since we last saw each other, Tazuna-san." Sakura explained.

"Hmph. Well I hope not because anyone was injured or anything like that." At their head shakes, he nodded. "Good. Well, come inside then and I'll explain the situation to you."

He opened the door to his house and beckoned them in, shutting the door behind them and leading them into the kitchen. Tsunami walked in shortly after. "Father? Is that you?" she stopped short when she saw everyone in the kitchen, until her eyes found Sakura. "Sakura!" she exclaimed. To the side, Shikamaru muttered, "sheesh. Does everyone know her?"

Ino elbowed him and gave him a look, which he grumpily returned. He kept quiet though. The trip to the land of the waves had been rough, and fast. And Shikamaru just wanted to sleep, not live through reunions.

Tsunami hugged Sakura, and then pulled back. Tazuna introduced all of them in turn, and she smiled graciously at all of them. "Well! It has been awhile since we've had company! Let me make all of you some tea and fix some food."

They thanked her, and sat around the table. Asuma was the first one to speak. "Tazuna-san. I was wondering if you had the blueprints to the bridge? I would like to go over them if possible to familiarize my team with it and plan."

It was long before Asuma had the papers in front of him and poured over them carefully with Tazuna standing behind him, explaining the layout of the land on either side of the bridge. Asuma nodded occasionally and lit a cigarette. The evening passed much that way, with team 10 finally getting to relax and eat. When they all went to sleep, Asuma was still pouring over the blueprints and gleaning all he could from Tazuna.

The next morning, Asuma was the one to shake them all awake. "Come on, get ready, I'll explain the plan over breakfast."

At the table, Asuma laid the papers down in front of all of them, letting them circle around to get a look. He pointed at a small building on the bridge. "this building is actually built in the middle of the bridge as both a guard station and as a place to collect tolls. It's where the majority of their forces are camped out."

His finger moved to far side of the bridge. "The problem is the length of the bridge from either side. Even with the tree line that is over here, we won't be able to approach unseen." He looked at Ino. "Ino, this is where you come in. When we have the opportunity, I want you to perform a mind body switch on one of them so that we can see what we're dealing with inside that building. Make sure there are no ninja," He stressed.

He looked over at Sakura and Shikamaru. "I want you two to approach from below on the water, and walk up one of the supports to get as close as possible. Make sure you aren't seen. Shikamaru, you will use your shadow bind. Sakura, you cover him and use any technique you can think of to create confusion. Choji and I will be approaching from the front and doing most of the direct fighting. Simple enough, right?" The genin all nodded, and his grunted. "Good. Then let's get ready and go."

It was one thing to discuss the plan, but another to actually be at the bridge, confronted with the idea of fighting. Sakura nervously stared at the bridge as she walked on the water with Shikamaru. The bridge was still a while off; they had wanted to do get in the water far enough that they wouldn't be seen. Thankfully Asuma knew how to create a fog with a Kirigakure jutsu he had learned in the past, and managed to give them some cover from being seen.

Asuma and Choji and Ino all went to the bridge itself, and wait up in the trees for Ino to take control of someone. It was a long distance shot, so they had to make sure the person was still before Ino took her shot. They watched as Shikamaru and Sakura walked up the stone side support of the bridge, just below one of the guards. Shikamaru assumed his normal stance for his jutsu, and Ino watched as his shadow stretched out, trapping the man where he was standing. He looked down, startled, and opened his mouth to shout. That's where Ino came in. Asuma caught her as her body slumped and she assumed control of the guard on the bridge. She coughed loudly, a sign letting Shikamaru know he could release his jutsu. Sakura tossed up a small satchel, full of kunai. Ino would need these.

Once she could move again, she strapped on the satchel, making sure no one noticed her, and turned around to the building. It was large; larger than it looked in the distance. It could easily fit several rooms, but Tazuna had explained it was mainly one large room with a restroom in the back. She walked in, nodding to one of the other guys near the door, and scanned the room. The room was full; at least twenty men were in here. Several were playing cards, there were burnt cigarettes and empty bottles littering the floor. In all this mess though, she only had one thing to be concerned with. All she needed was to see one kunai, a scroll, or any sort of ninja tool.

Nothing.

She walked out of the building, and scratched her head. Another sign, this one meaning that there were no ninja.

"Hey, aren't you supposed to be keeping watch right now?" one man said, leaving the building. "I don't think you should be—" a kunai in his throat cut him off, leaving him to stare at Ino, gurgling on his own blood.

Asuma and Choji were running down the bridge, already starting the attack. The men in the building heard the gurgle and came rushing out.

"What happened?" one shouted. Another turned and pointed to Asuma and Choji. "There!"

The first man turned back to Ino. "Weren't you supposed to be keeping guard?"

His eyes widened as a kunai stabbed in his stomach. It wasn't enough to kill him, but definitely would keep him out of the fighting. Ino yanked the kunai out of his stomach, and turned to another man, who stared at her in shock.

"What are you doing?" he shouted, pulling out a knife to attack her. Several other men followed suit. They froze in there steps.

"Kagemane, success," came Shikamaru's voice. Off to the side, several men began fighting amongst themselves, slashing knives at the empty air, sometimes hitting each other.

"Genjutsu, success." Sakura echoed. She watched the men with a smug smile on her face as they stumbled around, fighting off imaginary foes.

Choji and Asuma came then, with Choji enlarging his hands and grabbing hold of many of the men, throwing some to the side and smashing others with his large fists. Men screamed as they were manhandled and bones broke.

Asuma, for his part, flickered through the crowd, the smell of smoke the only sign he was there and he darted in, striking men down, knocking many out in one blow, and when he had to, using just a kunai to disable the men. One man swung his first high at Asuma, who grabbed his arm and twisted the man around so that his arm was behind his back. With a grim look in his eyes, Asuma jerked the arm upwards, ripping the arm out of its socket. The bandit screamed, and fell to the ground, rolling over and gripping his arm.

Behind him, another man swung a sword down at Asuma. "Behind you Asuma-sensei!" Sakura shouted, throwing her kunai.

She needn't have worried. Asuma spun around, and in one fluid motion cut the man' throat with his kunai, kicking him away in the process. Blood spurted out and sprayed wildly as Sakura's own kunai hit the man in the back. The man fell down, dead.

Sakura stared in shock. It had been a reflex, but she had killed a man. She watched in dim fascination as the spray of blood abated into a steady pulse as the man's heart grew weaker. It happened fast, but seemed so slow.

She was woken out of her daze as Choji blocked another bandit from hitting Sakura. "Wake up!" he said, crushing the man's arm in his enlarged state.

Sakura jolted back to reality, and stared around her. The bridge was theirs. Shikamaru had many men frozen in place in front of him, their hands still in the air, weapons razed, unable to do anything as their comrades were killed and beaten in front of them.

Ino stood with a blood kunai, having had to defend herself in the bandit's body. Around her, several kunais had hit men. She had been aiming for non-lethal areas it seemed….but many men would still die. Ino seemed strangely calm. Sakura briefly wondered what she looked like.

Asuma, for his part, had blood sprayed n his close. He had easily done the most damage, and his cigarette was still burning, a testament to how fast the whole attack had happened. He looked at them, nodding. "That," he began, "was excellently carried out. Quick, nearly silent, and effective. Good job, team 10."

They all smiled in spite of themselves.

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**End of CHAPTER 21**

Well, how did you all like it? Hopefully it's okay, I have to admit I feel a bit uncertain about my writing right now. I'm out of practice! But I'm going to try and keep up a schedule of a chapter everyone two weeks or so. Hopefully I'll get into the rhythm of things again and maybe improve my writing. We'll see how that goes and then adjust if needed.

Also, I'm doing some revisions on previous chapters. Nothing too big, but here's a brief bit.

*Removing the Ino/Sakura kiss thing in the first chapter.

*Second chapter Ino/Sakura thing removed, Kakashi scene removed. First meets Naruto on team assignment

*Adding more detail to certain fights when I can. (Orochimaru, Gaara, several others) – _Still working on this bullet point._

*Fixing spelling/grammatical errors when I see them.

So far that's it. I'll keep you updated if I'm going to revise anything else. **You DO NOT have to go back and reread the story**. No major plot points have been changed. 


	22. Home At Last

Disclaimer–"If a writer knows enough about what he is writing about, he may omit things that he knows. The dignity of movement of an iceberg is due to only one ninth of it being above water." – Ernest Hemingway

The Maelstrom of Konoha**-1.22**

**The Tale of a Young Boy's Ascent into the Legends**

_Happy Holidays! Consider this my Christmas present. I know, I know, a bit early. But I won't be releasing anything for Christmas itself since I will be preoccupied with family. I hope you enjoy the chapter. I know I feel pretty happy with it right now. Also, just so everyone knows, I will be revising I,HINATA's first chapter and then updating it with new chapters starting January 10__th__. I'll remind you all in my next chapter in Maelstrom. Check it out around then. – C._

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Tsunade sighed. She hated wasting time with the council. They were a bunch of pompous old people, who thought they knew better than everyone else and always tried to stuff their ideology down other people's throats. It had been a rough morning, and even rougher night. She had barely slept at all since she was worrying over how Jiraiya had faired at finding Naruto. But then to also find out that _today_ was the day the stupid Inuzuka and Aburame argument would be settled? Tsunade was too exhausted for this; her eyes were struggling to stay open. She wanted to be anywhere else but in this council room.

She had more important things to do than deal with the council anyway. Like worry about whether her old teammate and her favorite genin in Konoha were alright. Not that she'd admit to anyone that Naruto was her favorite, of course.

The rest of the council was filing in, their many conversations buzzing around in the room. How they could be so civil to each other one moment and then at each other's throats in the council room the next was beyond Tsunade. She had to be careful though. The council, if they banded together, could prove to be quite a nuisance in Tsunade's leadership.

The murmurings died as each council member took their seats. Twin long tables sat on either side of Tsunade, who was seated in the center of the room, with two extra tables on either side of her for her advisors. They all looked expectantly at Tsunade, who was sitting in front of the room, slightly higher up, much like a judge.

Tsunade coughed into her hand, clearing here throat. "We're here right now to settle the issue between the Inuzuka and Aburame clans, which is centered on the Inuzuka heir, Kiba, and his altercation with the Aburame clan heir, Shino. Previously the Aburame had made several demands about territory within Konoha. Hyuuga Hiashi suggested that we look into Konoha's records to help settle the clan territories. Do we have such papers?"

To her left, Homura spoke up. "We do, in fact, have the records," he nodded to one of the ANBU at the door, who opened it and stepped outside for a moment, leading in another man, who wore thick rimmed glasses and had his hair parted neatly. Tsunade vaguely recognized him as one of the men from the lower floors of the Hokage building, where records of all sorts were kept.

"Name?" she asked.

"D-Dazai Osamu," he answered, clutching a rather large roll of paper.

"Well…?" Tsunade asked impatiently. From the corner of her eye she could see Homura shooting her a glare. '_Probably not how I should act. The council loves their formality..'_

"Yes, Hokage-sama," he said, unrolling the scroll. He pointed to one particular spot in the scroll, as if any of them could read the scroll from where they were seated. "It states clearly right here that the lineage which Inuzuka-san and Aburame-san spoke of is true. They are, in fact, distantly related clans.

"And what of the lands?"

"That is where it gets hazy. While it states that the land was originally granted to the Aburame clan, and only the Aburame clan, it seems that later on the Aburame clan voluntarily allowed the Inuzuka land to settle on their land and use it for their own purposes. There is a clan signature below it."

"What?" Shibi said. For an Aburame, that one word was like an incredulous outburst.

"Yes, right here, Aburame-san." Osamu said, motioning for the man to step forward. Shibi walked over and took a look, staying silent as he read.

Osamu glanced back up at Tsunade and at the many council members around him. "The issue however is that there was no law back then in Konoha about whether or not this officially became Inuzuka land after the signature. Today surely the clans would have specified more clearly between the _use_ and the _ownership_ of the lands in question.

"I see," Tsunade said. _'This is extremely tedious.' _She thought, rolling her eyes. She couldn't wait to get back to the office, burn the paper work, and grab some sake from the drawer. In that order. Hopefully without Shizune interrupting.

The issue with making a decision on this was that if she made up her mind that use was _not_ ownership, it set a precedent for other clans to pour through their records for such instances to see if there was any such example in their records and thus change things. Tsunade sighed. She hated these sorts of decisions, and the squabbling among different clans over such trivial things.

"I suggest that we put this forward to a vote," Tsunade suggested. If the council were to vote, it would make it clear to every clan what side of the issue they stood on. Anything short of a unanimous vote would create factions, which would fight amongst themselves rather than focus their attentions on Tsunade. The more occupied they were with their own fighting, the less they could interfere with her.

Hyuuga Hiashi stood up. "The Aburame's cause is unfounded, regardless of the previous laws of Konoha. As it stands currently in Konoha law, the Aburame, by providing the Inuzuka with such privilege for so long, tacitly gave away those lands to the Inuzuka. To revoke that now and try to usurp the Inuzuka over a schoolyard only brings shame and reproach to their clan. 

Aburame Shibi sat silently, but for all of his Aburame stoicism, Tsunade could tell he wasn't happy with the Hyuuga opposing him. The Hyuuga's held a lot of sway in the council, and could easily convince other clans to take his side.

The Nara clan head glanced up at Hiashi. "Troublesome," he sighed. He glanced over at his two teammates, the Yamanaka and Akamichi clan heads. All three of them stood up together. "Ino-Shika-Cho stands with the Aburame."

Tsunade smiled at the division. While eventually her hopes would be a unanimous decision, right now as a new Hokage she needed to make sure she could secure her position first. To her sides, her two advisers both stood up. "We stand with the Inuzuka," they announced, following Hiashi.

Several other members each stood up, announcing their votes. It was evenly divided. By the time everyone had stood up on either table, they were all eyeing each other in distrust. The division was clear.

Tsunade sighed loudly, pretending to be upset with the outcome. "Since we cannot come to a clear vote for Aburame, the lands will stay with the Inuzuka. I see no reason to change the precedent now. However, I think it is appropriate for the Inuzuka to provide some sort of compensation for the use of the clans. Dazai Osamu," Tsunade said, giving attention to the wiry man. He clutched his charters to his chest protectively.

"Y-yes, Hokage-sama?"

"I charge you with putting together a team to discover the value of the land that Aburame gave to the Inuzuka at the time when the Inuzuka first began to use it. The Inuzuka will pay that to the Aburame clan, and afterward I will hear no more of this land dispute. Now, as for the issue of Kiba…"

Tsume stepped forward. "Hokage-sama. As you know, the Inuzuka has traditionally been led by the alpha male. I myself am only leading now since my husband passed away. Kiba is the only heir apparent. To remove him completely as clan head permanently is against anyone's authority, as a clan's leadership is a clan matter alone. Konoha can not violate this rule."

Hyuuga Hiashi nodded his head silently.

"However," Tsume continued. "I agree to remove Kiba as heir apparent, and he will remain that way until his behavior matches that of a clan head. Furthermore, as an act of good faith towards the _Aburame_," he voice held some venom, _"_I will allow a member of the council to judge when Kiba has matured to the level befitting of a clan head."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "And this member is…?"

"Hyuuga Hiashi, Hokage-sama."

Tsunade glanced at Hiashi to see a self-satisfied smirk on his face. Whatever that man was planning, she would find out eventually. To her side, Homura leaned over and spoke quietly, "This is an acceptable compromise, Hokage-sama."

Tsunade glanced at Shibi, who stood, emotionless as always. Tsunade shrugged. "Alright. Hyuuga Hiashi, you will serve as the judge over Kiba's behavior on when he may assume leadership of his clan again."

Just then another ninja barged into the council. "Hokage-sama!" he said, running forward and kneeling.

'_What timing,' _Tsunade thought. '_I was so excited to finally go burn that paperwork too.'_

"What is it?" Tsunade asked. The man got up and handed a message to her. "This just arrived from one of Kakashi-sempai's ninken."

Tsunade waved the man off to dismiss him, and eagerly unrolled the scroll. She scanned the lines, and gave a sigh of relief. She was so relieved she didn't even care when Koharu snatched the report out of her hands. She read it quickly and spoke aloud. "So, it seems Jiraiya's mission was a success. The Uzumaki child and the Kyuubi are safe from this group, Akatsuki. For Mitarashi-san and Yuuhi-san to be hurt however, that is problematic."

Tsunade nodded. "Yes. I'm dispatching a med-nin right away."

Koharu nodded. "That is most wise, Hokage-sama."

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

Shikamaru watched the two kunoichi on his team with a careful eye. Although they didn't show it, he could tell both of them were shaken up by the fight at the bridge. Ino kept staring down at her hands when she thought no one was watching, sometimes taking a kunai out and inspecting it with wide eyes, as though she were still shocked she had used something to kill.

Sakura on the other hand stared blankly ahead. She gave no outward sign that she was troubled, other than the slight distant look in her eyes of someone lost in thought, and her unusual quietness. From time to time she'd wake out of her reverie and glance around at the team, making some small comment or other about their surroundings.

Asuma had noticed it too, and from the front of the group he kept glancing back at the two girls with a worried look. Shikamaru had been about to tell the two girls that they probably hadn't delivered the killing blow, but Asuma had put his hand on his shoulder and shook his head, explaining that it was probably better for the two girls to deal with the idea now, when he was sure he could keep an eye on them. They would have to kill eventually, he said, and this was probably the best possible time for them to get used to that fact.

Whether he regretted that decision now or not Shikamaru couldn't tell. He was pretty sure however that Asuma was right. He was more experienced in these sorts of things definitely, and Shikamaru, despite how much he wanted to comfort the two girls, he thought it was best to believe in Asuma-sensei's wisdom.

Choji, for his part, seemed relatively fine, as did Shikamaru. They had both killed during that fight, certainly. But for some reason they seemed to be unbothered by it. Well, Shikamaru was relatively okay with it. He'd had a few regrets, one or two men had begged for mercy, but in that instant he had been so caught up in the life or death situation, he hadn't even stopped to think, or spare his feelings. He was on a mission, and he had to do what must be done.

The Akimichi was also the most injured out of all of them. Asuma was the most skilled and could easily dodge all the attacks they threw at him. The other genin were relatively safe, with Ino in another man's body, Shikamaru using primarily his shadow, and Sakura using genjutsu and kunai. Choji on the other hand had been the muscle in the bridge op, and his large size had made him an easy target for a lot of the bandits. Choji had tons of cuts and scrapes covering him, but thankfully none of them were too bad.

"How many do you think we killed?" Sakura asked aloud. It was the first time she had brought up the mission in one of her comments.

Ino glanced at her kunai puch, and then looked over to Sakura. Shikamaru couldn't peg the expression, but if anything, he'd say it was concern in her eyes. Shikamaru stayed silent, and Choji kept munching his chips. Best to leave this to Asuma.

Asuma for his part looked over his should at the girl. "Some died. That happens in fights, especially ones as chaotic as that. We did our best to minimize the deaths, but even that is more kindness than we are expected to give. We did what we had to in order to protect our lives and complete the mission Sakura. That goes for you too Ino. People will die, and that is something that we must come to terms with as shinobi."

Sakura nodded, and Ino turned back to staring off into space. Asuma sighed. He wasn't the best with this sort of thing. His father was much better at this sort of motivational talk.

"The important thing to remember, team, is that we completed our mission, we are all safe and relatively unharmed, and the Wave is safe again. Not to mention that we _did_ do it with minimal casualties on either side. All of you: Well done."

Altogether, Team-Asuma was pretty proud of itself. All of them had contributed to the plan and managed to take the bridge effectively.

Just then, they came into the sights of Konoha's gates. Two guards walked up, holding out their hands, motioning for them to stop.

"Ah, Asuma-san," one of them said. "Good to see you."

Asuma nodded. "Likewise. We just got back from a mission from the wave. I'm looking to report to Tsunade-sama."

The guard nodded as the other one went to look at each genin. "Sorry, can't be too careful you know. Not since the last attack."

"I understand completely, take your time." Asuma said.

"What mission did you have in Wave?" the first guard asked, trying to strike up idle conversation while the other checked for any form of deception from the genin or Asuma himself. They had to make sure they were who they said they were, after all.

"The Great Naruto Bridge—"

"_Tazuna's Bridge_" Sakura corrected. "I refuse to call that bridge Naruto's."

Asuma eyed her but said nothing, continuing. "The Great Naruto Bridge was taken over and being held by some bandits, Team 10 was sent out to recover it. We also have a message from Wave for Tsunade-sama. I believe it's some form of a contract."

When the guards had finished checking all of them over, they stood aside. "Glad to hear your mission was a success, Asuma-san, team 10. You can go inside."

Later, Shikamaru looked around the Hokage's office. It had hardly changed from how it was when the Sandaime was here. The walls were simple and relatively unadorned. The only surprising difference was that Tsunade-sama seemed to have a better hand on the paperwork than the Sandaime ever did. Perhaps it was the age difference?

Tsunade stared at them over her clasped hands from behind her desk. She studied each of them in turn, eyeing them up and down, before settling on Shikamaru for a while longer. He gulped and stood a little straighter. He wasn't used to being appraised.

Finally, she looked back at Asuma. "Report."

Asuma saluted quick, and then went on to describe their mission in the wave. He covered everything, from meeting up with Tazuna, to the safety of Wave and how they seemed to have been benefiting from the bridge since Team 7 had been there—he didn't forget to mention that it was called the Great Naruto bridge—to how they managed to come up with a plan and carry it out with an efficiency of a team that had been working together for years.

Tsunade had gone back to studying them as Asuma described the roles that each of them had played in the bridge operation. When Asuma finally finished, she nodded.

"Good job, team 10. Your payment is in the other room. Asuma, I expect a full written report on my desk as well by tomorrow. Genin, you are dismissed. Asuma, please stay a bit longer, I wish to discuss something with you."

When they had all left, shutting the door behind them, Tsunade spoke. "Whether they killed those enemy ninja or not, I think it would be best for your team, specifically Ino and Sakura, if they submitted to some psychological evaluations."

Asuma nodded, and Tsunade continued. "Has Shikamaru or Choji shown any signs of discomfort at their actions on the bridge?"

"No, Hokage-sama."

"Good. Make sure to notify me at once if either of them exhibits any signs."

"I will, Hokage-sama," Asuma answered, nodding. "Also, I have another thing to tell you." Asuma pulled out the message Tazuna had given his team and handed it to the Hokage. "This message is from Tazuna-san. He has been elected a sort of mayor of sorts of there and asked that you consider this proposal."

Tsunade took the message and opened it up, reading through it quickly. "I see. It will be most useful for us if Wave becomes a province of the Land of Fire under Konoha's exclusive protection. I'm sure the taxes from trade would bring considerable income. I will have to send a message to the daimyo soon to see what he thinks."

Asuma nodded and left the office to go find his team.

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

Kiba wiped the sweat from his forehead. He was panting nearly as hard as Akamaru, and nearly as loud. That didn't mean he stopped the res though. He wore a huge grin on his face, staring over at the Hyuuga prodigy, who stood firm, his hands outstretched in the traditional jyuuken pose.

Lee stepped up, getting into a fighting stance. "Kiba-kun, let me take a try at Neji-kun. You should rest!"

Kiba shook his head, and wiped his forehead one more time on his sleeve. "Hell no! I'm going to beat this prick if it's the last thing I do. Just watch me, Lee. Gatsuuga!"

Kiba turned his body and left off the ground, spinning to an impossible speed before crashing into Neji, who stood in place, trusting his own Hyuuga technique to guard himself. "Kaiten!" He shouted, performing his own spin, releasing chakra to use as a shield.

Kiba fell back, repelled by the technique, and got up with a snarl. "Akamaru! Let's go!" He threw a pill into the dogs mouth, and soon there were two Kiba's next to each other with a feral look on their face.

Their second attack didn't do much better, and when Kiba landed to close to Neji, he heard the words they all hate to hear on Team Gai. "You are within my range of divination"

Kiba's eyes widened as suddenly Neji was on him, faster than he could blink, hitting him in ever spot, systematically closing his tenketsu. Neji finished with a final blow to his gut, sending him sprawling.

Kiba fell to the ground, looking up at the clouds. _'Still can't beat him, eh?' _He smirked. Neji was stronger. He'd catch up eventually though.

For his part, Neji was still calm, and breathing normally. He trained all the time, and his jyuken was also perfect at keeping him moving a minimal amount in a fight. He shook his head at Kiba, who was panting, still trying to catch his breath as he rolled over and pushed himself up off the ground to sit near a tree.

Lee jumped forward enthusiastically. "My turn now!"

Neji sweat dropped. _'To have me use my Eight Trigrams on?'_

Before he could make the witty remark though, Lee sped forward in a cloud of dust, unleashing a barrage on the Hyuuga prodigy that he struggled to keep up with. Unlike Kiba, Lee had been at this routine many times, and was a lot closer to finally defeating Neji than the Inuzuka.

Off to the Side, Tenten practiced with her various weapons, sighing at the boys' antics. She turned when she heard a familiar voice.

"Troublesome."

Shikamaru was standing behind her, watching Lee slowly lose to Neji. On either side of him were Choji and Ino and Sakura, one with his typical bag of chips, and the other two were watching in fascination at Lee's determination.

"So you're back from your mission?" Tenten asked.

"Yep. Just reported to Hokage-sama. Asuma-sensei should be here soon too."

Tenten smiled. "Finally! I hope he can get some kenjutsu training in for me. Wouldn't you agree Sakura?"

"eh?" The pink haird girl blinked and looked down at Tenten for a moment before realization dawned on her face. "Oh! Yeah…yeah… I can't wait."

Tenten raised her eyebrow to Shikamaru at Sakura's lack of enthusiasm in her voice and seeming detachment, but decided not to voice any questions about it when the Nara shook his head.

"Yo!" Asuma's voice carried over to the group, and everyone stopped what they were doing for a moment, heading over to the jounin. Behind him, another man was walking, a jounin that Tenten vaguely recognized as Hayate Gekko. He was carrying a sword and two practice swords.

Tenten's eyes brightened and hurried over. Asuma smiled at her and then called Sakura over. He pointed at Hayate to his side. You probably remember Hayate-san from the Chuunin exams, but I want to introduce him all the same. This is Hayate, he is a tokubetsu jounin of Konoha and also one of our most skilled kenjutsu practitioners. I've asked him to help you two with the sword. When neither girl said anything, but just nodded to Hayate. "Well, I'll let you get to it."

Asuma walked off, calling the rest of Team Gai and Team Asuma together, probably to organize better spars, and perhaps make sure that Kiba was alright.

Hayate cleared his throat. "Okay, well, have either of you held a sword before?"

Sakura shook her head while Tenten nodded. Hayate grunted. "Alright. Well, since Sakura hasn't we'll start from the basics with the proper grip and the stance…"

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

_He killed your parents… _The man's voice echoed in Anko's mind as she fell through the abyss. All around her was darkness. There was no wind, no point of reference, nothing to fall towards. Only black. Still, Anko could tell she was moving.

Anko woke up in a bed with a gasp, her eyes wide. Another nightmare. She was covered in a cold sweat, gasping for breath. Where was she? The walls were paneled wood. A small light next to her helped chase the shadows. In the corner, the coat her mother had given her hung on a hook on the wall. The light flickered, and bleak shadows veiled the room for a moment in darkness.

A sudden screech rang throughout the room, and Anko jumped in fright, knocking over the lamp. It thudded to the ground before going out. The room was dark. Anko turned to the window where the sound had come from, and with a trembling hand, reached out to the curtain.

She pulled it back. SCREECH. The sound made her jump back, nearly falling out of the bed and covered herself with her quilt. She stopped. Her heart felt like it was in her throat, her eyes wide. She peeked from out of her covers and felt relief at the site of a branch from outside scraping against the window in the wind.

Anko looked down at her quilt. It was heavy, thick, and handmade with floral patterns. Her mother had made it. She held it close, keeping warm. At her bedside was a cup of hot chocolate. She smiled. Mom always knew how to make her happy, and nothing was better for Anko after a nightmare than knowing her mom was near, taking care of her. She took a drink and looked outside. It was snowing. Little Anko loved the snow, and loved when her parents would take her out on a family trip to their cabin in the mountains.

Well, it wasn't quite a cabin. It was a bit larger, with two stories, a living room, kitchen, everything you'd need for an extended stay away from Konoha. The cabin sat, brooding, alone in the mountains overlooking the shadowy forest below that Konoha was hidden in.

The tree scraped against the window just as Anko took a sip from her hot chocolate, and the little girl had to remind herself it was nothing more than the wind. ****

"Anko, are you awake? Breakfast is ready!" A voice called from downstairs.

Anko jumped out of bed, her fear of the dark room and the wind rapping its woody fingers against the window gone at the sound of her mother's voice. She didn't bother changing out of her dango themed pajamas. If she could, she'd wear them every day. They were warm and fuzzy, and far more comfortable than anything she had to wear normally outside in Konoha.

Anko smiled as she hopped down the stairs. She loved her vacations, alone, just with her family. Nobody else was nearby to bother them, not for miles around. Just her, her mommy, and her daddy.

The smell of bacon and eggs wafted up the stairwell from the small kitchen in the cabin. Anko loved her mother's cooking. She could cook the most regular things and make it taste like a true five star restaurant meal. No matter who the chef was, they couldn't compete with mom's cooking. Anko's stomach growled.

Anko skipped into the kitchen. It was brightly lit, with the smell of fresh food and the welcome sight of her mother, dressed in regular civilian clothes and an apron. A rare sight, since typically Mitarashi Hinami was one of the better known jounin of Konoha and was almost always dressed in her ninja gear, weapons ready. Anko however preferred her mom like this. It meant she was home, and wasn't going anywhere. She'd cook yummy food, read bedtime stories, make hot chocolate, and sometimes just sit with Anko and gently comb her hair, all the while telling her stories about the world outside of Konoha.

Hanami turned and smiled at her daughter, who had to reach up to grab the top of one of the chairs and drag it away from the table. Its legs ground against the wood floor, which was already scuffed up from the many times Anko had done that. Hanami tried to keep a straight face as she watched her daughter clamber up the chair to sit at the table, which she could barely see over.

She dished her daughter her breakfast, and then swooped down and pushed her daughter's bangs back to give her a kiss on the forehead.

"Make sure you finish it all, Anko." She said, going to the sink to clean up.

"mm!" Anko said, or tried to with her mouth full. She nodded.

Just then, Mitarashi Kinako, Anko's father walked in the cabin. "I'm back!" he called from the other room, followed by the clunk of wood falling as he dropped the firewood he'd gathered. He walked in and smiled as he saw little Anko, her face stuffed with food. He quickly stepped over and tickled the girl, who squealed and futilely tried to keep her father's larger and stronger hands away. Suddenly he wrapped his arms around her in a huge hug and picked her up, spinning her around and laughing with her.

Hanami walked over and smacked him on the side with a spatula. "Later! Anko has to finish her breakfast!" she chastised. Even so, she still had a smile on her face as well.

It was always like this when they were all home together. Like her mother, Anko's father was also a jounin on Konoha, and was also often away on missions.He made Anko feel safe. With him home and her mother, Anko was happier than she ever was. That's why these mountain trips were so special to her. They meant that she'd have time to be with both parents, to be a family, and for her to be truly happy.

"Have you seen the snow baby girl?" Anko's mother asked out of the blue.

"Oh yes there's so much!" her dad joined in. "Come on, let me show you!" he grabbed Anko's hand and hurried to the other room and to the back door, which was a sliding glass door, and pulled back the blinds.

The snow blanketed everything. The snow was smooth and untouched, and it blanketed the dead earth and trees, hiding their decay with pure white. The earth was sleeping peacefully. Anko couldn't wait to make a snowman!

Kinako eyed her with a knowing smile on his face. "How about we get you dressed up in some warm clothes so you can go outside to play?" he suggested.

"Yes daddy!" Anko nearly shouted, giving a tiny jump. Her feet barely touched the ground. Kinako scooped her up in his arms again. His daughter was too cute sometimes.

Minutes later, well, more like half an hour, Kinako came back downstairs with his daughter in tow. She was hopping down each stair, pausing between them and counting. "Eight!" she said at the last one. "Eight stairs, daddy!"

"Wow, you could count all of those?" he asked in fake shock. "You're smart! I don't think I could count that high at your age!"

Anko looked smug, and then saw her mother, who had just walked out of the kitchen. She walked up and kissed Kinako, ignoring Anko's face, and then went and kissed Anko on the forehead. "Thank you dear for taking care of that." She said to her husband. Then she turned back to Anko, taking her by the hand and leading her to the heavy front door. She opened it up, and ignored the blast of cold air.

Anko forgot everything, and before her mother could even speak, squealed with laughter and ran out into the snow, belly-flopping the first patch of untouched snow. Hinami smiled before closing the door softly to let her daughter play in the snow. She loved her daughter with all of her heart, and while it was nice to have the family together on these little vacations, it was also nice for her and Kinako to have some time alone as a couple.

Kinako smiled and pulled her in for a kiss.

Anko for her part barely noticed her parents closing the door. She loved the snow, and never got to see it or play in it except on these trips. It just didn't snow in Konoha, or anywhere in the land of fire really, except in the mountains.

She grabbed a bunch of snow in her arms and pulled it closer to her, almost in a hugging motion, steadily making a large ball of snow. Once it was large enough, she scooted over and started to make a second one, and then finally a third. Once she had all three, she picked them up, struggling with their size, and stacked them on top of each other.

Satisfied with her snowman's body, she needed to find eyes and nose for it. Not to mention a mouth.

She looked around for something to use. Everything was covered in snow. She glanced up at the tall tree that was near her window. Even that didn't leave her much.

Then she glanced over at the trees further away from the house, when the woods started. The snow wasn't as deep there because of the trees covering the ground. She'd have better luck over there finding something to use.

She waved goodbye to her snowman, thinking of names for it. Then she decided it wasn't a snowman anymore, but a snowgirl. It could be her big sister! Anko always wanted one anyway. As she was thinking of a name, she finally got over to the trees. At first the snow was a bit deep, but as she kept walking deeper into the woods the snowfall became a lot lighter. There was dead leaves still littering the ground in places, and some of the ground was muddy from the wet snow.

It was darker and somehow colder in the trees. But Anko barely noticed. She was on a mission! Her first ninja mission, she decided. Find snowgirl's nose! The Hokage needed her desperately for this mission. She was the only one in the village who complete it. Konoha was counting on her! She nodded to herself and then crouched against a tree, like a ninja. Like her mommy. She grabbed an icicle and held it close to her like a kunai. Anko crept further in the trees, looking for any sign of her goal. It needed to be a good sized stick, she decided. And some rocks! Small, circular ones for the eyes and nose.

She heard a gurgling, and stopped. She had no idea what that sound was. She hunched down against the tree and crept forward. Some bushes kept her from seeing past them. She reached out, pushing her hand through the snow covered bushes and pushed them aside quickly.

Three crows jumped out and flew by her, startling her and making her fall back. She caught herself with her hand, and the icicle snapped as it met the ground.

She turned and watched the crows fly away, the three of them cawing as they went. Anko picked herself up and pushed the bushes aside again, only to see a small creek with a stream. It ran sluggishly. It was slow, a small rivulet of water with clumps of snow in the middle, slowly turning to ice.

Beneath the water Anko could see the small stones she was looking for. She smiled. "Mission success, Hokage-sama!" she said aloud, taking her mittens off. She dipped her hands down, trying to ignore how freezing the water was, and grabbed several small rocks, stuffing them in her pockets. She held her hands beneath her arms for a moment to try to warm them up and then put her gloves back on.

She dug around near the trees in the snow until finally she found a long enough twig to use as the nose. She picked it up, brushed off the snow, and stuffed that in her pocket too. She froze, realizing she was undefended. Quickly, she reached over to a tree and grabbed an icicle. Enemy ninja could attack her at any moment! She had to make sure she stayed safe until she made it back to base and the mission was over.

She crept back through the woods, following her own footsteps to find her way. Occasionally she hid behind a tree, peering around it to make sure the coast was clear.

When the snowgirl was finally in sight again, she hurried out from cover and ran over to it. The snow was deep, and it made her stumble a bit, but she didn't mind as she scooped the rocks out of her pocket to put in the snowgirl. She froze.

The heavy front door creaked slowly with the sound of hinges desperately needing oil. She turned to see that the door was open, and was gently swinging as the breeze hit it. The lights weren't on inside. Behind the snowgirl was another set of tracks, leading into the house.

The wind blew a shutter up on the higher flew against the window, and the loud bang startled her so she dropped the stones. Above her on the roof, crows cawed. The house loomed over her, sitting gloomy in the field of snow; white death blanketed it in silence.

"Mommy?" Anko called, walking towards the house. "The doors open!"

She looked at the tracks in the snow. She used what little her parents had taught her about tracking. The footsteps were larger, but slender, and the person had been dragging something. She couldn't tell if it was a man or woman.

She walked inside and called again. "Mommy? Daddy?"

No answer.

The living room was empty, the fire had blown out. A few embers glowed red hot in the ashes. The smells from the kitchen were gone, and instead of the warm cooking and sweet humming of her mom a cold breeze lingered in the room.

She turned around, wondering if her parents had gone to sleep. She trembled. She wasn't used to the cabin being dark, or being alone there.

She walked upstairs, ignoring how the floor creaked as she stepped on it, or how the snow was melting off of her boots to form puddles on the floor. As she got nearer, she could hear the hissing. Maybe one of them was taking a shower?

Her parent's bedroom was slightly ajar, and she walked up, pushing it open with her hand.

"Oh, is the little one here?" a voice said.

Anko looked with wide eyes as a hooded man walked into view. Out of his sleeves were two snakes, wrapped around Anko's parents, and dragging them behind the hooded man. They were both struggling with the snakes as they wrapped around their throats, strangling them. There hissing was the only noise in the room.

Anko stared with wide eyes, paralyzed as an overwhelming fear overcame her. Her father struggled against the snakes, freeing himself just enough to scream, "Anko! RUN!"

Anko couldn't move though. The man was looking at her. She couldn't see his face beneath her hood, but he was looking at her. Her legs wouldn't move.

"Anko, PLEASE RUN!" her father shouted. Her mother sobbed, trying to free herself from the snakes as well.

Suddenly, the man turned and quicker than Anko could see, a kunai was in his hands. Her father's eyes widened in shock as the sharp cold metal sank into his fleshy back. The soft thud and his groan the only signs that he had been stabbed.

He coughed, and tiny rivulets of blood ran out of his mouth down his chin. The thick liquid ran onto the snakes, bathing them in it.

Her mother screamed, overwhelming all other sounds, and Anko could only stare as her father's eyes as the blood dripped from him onto the snakes and finally onto the floor. The hooded man leaned over her mother's shoulder, a long tongue sticking out and licking her mother's face. His eyes, hidden in shadow, never left Anko.

A sinister laugh rumbled in his chest as a slender finger pushed his mother's chin up. He took his eyes off of Anko to look down at Hanami. Despite his soft voice, somehow Anko could hear it over her mother's screaming. "Such talent, if only it hadn't been wasted with Sarutobi's vapid philosophy. You're daughter however, is a clean slate."

Behind him, Kinako coughed out more blood, splattering the man's cloak. One of the snakes from the man's sleeves tightened its grip, and with a sickening crunch, Anko watched her father's neck snap. His eyes glazed over, and his body fell limp. The snake loosened its grip, and he fell to the floor with a thud. Then the snake crawled down onto the ground, and with its mouth hanging open, slowly began to swallow the body.

Her mother hadn't stopped screaming. The man turned and used the same kunai he had stabbed her father with to viciously slit her mother's throat. He watched calmly in sick fascination as the blood pooled down beneath him, running along the floor in thin rivulets before sinking beneath the floorboards. Her mother's scream cut off in a soft gurgle.

Anko hadn't realized she'd been screaming, but she stood there, unable to move, her eyes wide in fear, as yellow eyes gleamed threw the darkness in the hood, never blinking. The man walked forward, the floorboard creaking and wet, staring intently at her as twin snakes devoured her parents behind him.

He removed his hood, and his pale face smiled sickly at her. "You must be Anko-chan," he said, brushing her face with the back of his hand. His slender white fingers were as cold as the snow outside. As cold as death.

The room lengthened and swirled, stretching to impossible lengths and proportions. Her vision blurred, the only noise was her own heart thumping in her ears. Da-thump, Da-thump. Then her world went black.

_He killed your parents… _

Anko woke up in her bedroom. It was the same bedroom as always, the only one she'd ever had, or so said Orochimaru-sama.

Her room was simple. Spartan. She had one picture on her wall, a picture of a snake, it's fangs bared, striking down at a fox**. **It was a birthday present from Orochimaru-sama himself.There was one lamp, which lit her room enough to see the dull brown stone walls, and her bed was relatively simple, with white sheets and one pillow. Orochimaru-sama didn't believe in useless decorations. They didn't help her become a good ninja, he always told her.

She had a bookcase, which was stuff with tons of books on the ninja arts, from ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu. Several books were devoted to anatomy, which was something Orochimaru-sama said would be helpful to understand; both for defeating her enemies and understanding them.

Orochimaru-sama said he learned a lot from those books. He said without his knowledge of biology, there would be no way for him to experiment and develop such powerful jutsu.

Anko read those books a lot. She cherished them almost as much as her painting. Inside the cover of each book she wrote her name in childlike scrawl, "Anko's property, from Orochimaru-sama! Keep out!"

Not that anyone ever looked at her books. Nobody ever came to her room even. Anko was an orphan, her parents hadn't wanted her, Orochimaru-sama said. So he took her in and was teaching her how to be a ninja. Orochimaru-sama was all Anko had. She didn't get to go out much to make friends. In fact she lived with Orochimaru-sama outside of Konoha, even though he was a Konoha ninja.

Orochimaru-sama said that was because he could train her better without the distractions in the village. Anko agreed. She already knew more than most academy students he said, and Anko wouldn't enter the Academy until next year.

Anko got dressed in her typical ninja clothes, the same that would become her trademark outfit. She left her room, closing the door behind her and locking it. She always made sure to lock her door. It was a matter of safety, ever since one of Orochimaru's experiments escaped and hid himself in her room. When she'd gotten back from training, she barely had the strength to defend herself, but after a short fight, managed to kill him.

Orochimaru had been angry with her. She remembered the punishment he had given her afterwards, how much she had screamed. The next time that happened, she managed to capture his experiment with snakes instead of killing him. That time, Orochimaru was pleased. He even taught her a new jutsu as a reward!

Anko walked down the halls of Orochimaru-sama's facility. This was where he did his experiments. He did the good of Konoha here, he always said. He even ran a medical facility! Ninja's that were sick or wanted to better their skills came to Orochimaru-sama, from all over. Sometimes they were really sad at how sick they were. Those ones Orochimaru-sama had to put to sleep so he could work on them. Others came begging Orochimaru-sama for help.

Anko was used to the noises then that echoed down the hallways as she left her room. Some of them were groans, others were the sound of pacing in chains rattling, still others were half audible mutterings of madmen, unable to withstand Orochimaru's methods.

Those Anko felt the most sorry for. They eyed her through their barred doors as she walked by, some reaching out towards her, their arms sometimes modified with machinery and foreign tissue grafted onto their bodies. In the end though, those that were successful always became more powerful. Orochimaru-sama always kept his promises.

She kept going past the sounds of the patients, into another hallway. The walls here were decorated with carvings of snakes. Orochimaru-sama loved snakes. He even gave Anko a chance to summon them. But Anko couldn't summon the stronger snakes yet. Orochimaru-sama said she'd have to wait until she was stronger, when she had enough chakra and a sacrifice for Manda.

Suddenly Orochimaru-sama walked out of one of the rooms. Screams filled the air for a moment until the door closed behind him. He noticed Anko and smiled, wiping blood from his hands with a rag. He had an apron on, stained with blood from older patients, and splattered with the fresh blood of his most recent patient. Probably the one on the other side of the door.

Anko stopped and gave a small bow to her sensei. Orochimaru loved when she showed respect.

"Anko-chan. How are you doing, have you completed your senjai-shuu jutsu?"

"Hai, Orochimaru-sama." Anko said, proud. "I can even summon larger snakes now! I've been practicing and—"

Orochimaru smacked Anko, his eyes furious. "I have told you not to summon without me present, Anko _-chan_. Do not make me repeat myself!"

"Hai, Orochimaru-sama. Please forgive me." Anko bowed again, holding back tears. "I won't do it again."

She just wanted to show Orochimaru-sama her success! She just wanted him to smile and pat her on the head again.

Orochimaru nodded, studying the girl. "See that you don't. I don't want to have to punish you, Anko, but you make me do it."

The older man walked up to the smaller girl, his motions fluid, wasting no motion, like a man trained to kill. He put his hand on Anko's should, running his finger along her skin. He pushed her chin up to meet his eyes and smiled, licking his lips.

"Anko-chan, perhaps I shouldn't be so angry at you for trying so hard," he said. "You are improving, after all… Perhaps you deserve a reward, a special reward only I can give you that will make you stronger."

Anko beamed at his praise, and gave Orochimaru a hug. The slender man gently stroked her hair and brushed the back of his hand against his face. "Yes, I think it's time I gave you a special gift, just from me, Anko-chan."

"Orochimaru-sama?" Anko asked tentatively. When the older man glanced down at her again, she continued. "Do I have any…other family in Konoha?"

Orochimaru's eyes narrowed, and Anko winced as she felt his hand tighten on her shoulder. She'd done something to upset him. Orochimaru-sama never liked when she brought up her family.

"Now now Anko-chan. We've discussed this before. I am your family now. Bad ninja took your parents away. Very bad ninja. They left you to die out there you know, covered in their blood. You were so little. It's a good thing you can't remember it. It's a very good thing I found you and took you in, don't you agree?"

_He killed your parents… _

Anko woke up. The anesthesia hadn't worked like Orochimaru-sama promised. She blinked, trying to make out the shape outlined by the bright light shining in her eyes. She could hear the soft beeping of Orochimaru-sama's equipment. Beep. Beep. Beep.

Her father figure looked down at her, smiling. "Ah, you've woke up, Ank-chan! Well that's unfortunate you see, because I've run all out of anesthesia for you. But we can't stop now! We're not finished!"

With that, he man drove his scalpel into her, cutting. Anko bit her lip, drawing blood, trying not to scream. Idly, Orochimaru-sama summoned snakes to hold her down tighter to the table. "Don't squirm now, Anko-chan!"

Anko couldn't help it, she screamed. Her insides were on fire! Orochimaru-sama laughed. "This will only make you stronger Anko-chan. And soon, soon you'll be ready for another one of my gifts! Perhaps you may even be able to become one with me eventually. Wouldn't that be nice, Anko-chan?"

Anko wanted to nod yes. Anything for Orochimaru-sama. He was all that mattered now. She screamed out again at a fresh cut, even as she still tried to ignore the searing pain.

Off to the side, through her own screams, Anko vaguely heard another voice. "Will she truly survive this?"

"Yes, yes," Orochimaru-sama responded impatiently. "Of course she will."

As Anko's consciousness fled, she just barely heard him say, "And if she doesn't, there are plenty of others to choose from."

She mustn't be replaced. She wouldn't lose Orochimaru-sama. She had to please him father.

Darkness overtook her.

_He killed your parents…_

Orochimaru-sama took his head away from Anko, staring at her intently as his neck shrank back to normal size.

They were in a small warehouse, one of Orochimaru's properties in Wave country, not far from the Land of Fire. This was very close to one of Orochimaru's facilities, where he experimented on ninjas and developing their powers.

Orochimaru had been happy with her progress. She was easily one of the most powerful kunoichi of her age, and was able to give many jounin a run for their money. She was becoming more competent in snake summoning as well as every jutsu Orochimaru-sama taught her. She had also nearly perfected her snake style taijutsu under Orochimaru-samas careful eye.

A wave of pain enveloped her entire body as the seal took hold. It was like fire. Anko fell to her knees, clutching her shoulder in pain. She hadn't expected this to hurt so much! Orochimaru-sama gave a small laugh. "You are strong Anko-chan. I'm sure you'll survive this. You should feel privileged; this is my Cursed Seal of Heaven."

"Hai, Orochimaru-sama," Anko choked out through gasps. Several seagulls fought over a crab outside on the docks behind the older man.

He turned to walk out of the warehouse, scaring away the seagulls. "Of course, if you don't, I can always find someone else. Clearly you aren't good enough for me if you can't handle my curse seal."

Anko gasped as a new wave of pain hit her, even stronger than the last. She fell over and curled up in fetal position, trying to bear with the pain. She dug her fingers into the floor, breaking nails and scraping her skin in the process. One of her fingers started to bleed. This was for Orochimaru-sama.

Behind her, the light of the world was cut off, closing her in darkness as Orochimaru-sama shut the warehouse door. The last thing she heard was the click of the lock.

_He killed your parents…_

Anko walked out of her room, dressed in her usual coat. Kurenai, who was sitting on the couch, glanced up from her book.

"Finally awake, Anko?"

"Haha, yep! I feel good as new," Anko said, pretending to flex her arm.

Kurenai's bright red eyes danced with laughter. She snapped the book closed and stood up from the couch. "Excellent! Well then I guess some celebration is in order."

"You betcha!"

Just then, the lock clicked and the front door opened. Naruto stepped in, his eyes sweeping from one beauty to the next.

"I'm home!" He announced with a smile. He walked over and pulled the raven haired beauty in for a kiss, and then turned towards Anko. "And I see you're finally awake Anko-chan!" He reached for her and pulled her in for a kiss too.

_Kill them, Anko-chan._

A sudden fire shot through Anko's body, her shoulder burning. As Naruto kissed her, she brought her arm up and pointed at Kurenai, summoning her snakes.

One shot out of her sleeve and latched onto Kurenai's neck, biting deep and drawing blood.

"Wha-?" Kurenai managed to gasp out, clutching her neck. The poison was fast. It was already numbing that area of the body. In the neck, the poison would travel fast to the heart.

Naruto shoved Anko away in shock, his eyes full of betrayal. "What are you doing Anko!"

Anko didn't respond. Inside however, she was screaming for her to stop. She didn't have control!

Another snake shot out of her sleeve, wrapping around Naruto before he could react. Tears fell from Anko's eyes, but her face was expressionless.

Naruto looked at her, confused, unable to move, unable to understand.

He still had that look on his face as Anko stabbed him in the heart, letting the blood run down the kunai and onto her hand. Her eyes never leaving Naruto's, she took her hand up and licked the blood off. Then, wordlessly, she let her snakes drop him and Kurenai to the floor, walking past both of them.

His bright blue eyes stared back up at her, lifeless. Next to him, Kurenai stared at her accusingly as she struggled with the pain of the venom coursing through her body.

Anko walked to the door and grabbed a hooded cloak, wrapping herself in it and hiding her face with the hood. Without turning back, she opened the front door and left, stepping out into the sunshine of Konoha with a sick smile.

_He killed everyone you loved, and you will do the same… _

Her world was darkness, and she was one with it.

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

Jiraiya stoked the flames of the small fire in their camp, stifling a yawn. He was exhausted. The stress of making sure they were safe from Itachi and Kisame, not to mention Kurenai-san's and Anko-san's conditions, was too much for an old man like him. In his younger days, this would have just been exciting. Today, all he really wanted was to sit down and write. Half a night's sleep really didn't help him much either. Today was going to be a long day.

Jiraiya glanced down at Kurenai's sleeping form, gently resting his hand on her forehead. The fever seems to have gone down. As for Anko, her face scrunched up occasionally; in pain or in just a dream, he wasn't sure.

The genin all slept peacefully. The Aburame had called most of his insects in for the night, leaving only a few out as a rudimentary warning system. If any of the bugs saw anything, they'd fly back and warn his hive, waking him up.

The Hyuuga girl, Hinata, slept a little further away from the Aburame, closer to Naruto. Jiraiya could see the looks the girl sent Naruto from time to time when they had been awake earlier. The girl thought she loved him. Who knows, maybe she does.

Kakashi and Gai had both fallen asleep right away. They're veterans of keeping watch and rough nights sleeping on the ground. Their bodies knew to grab sleep when it could, and they had no trouble doing it.

Jiraiya felt sorry for Kakashi. The jounin had simply done what he thought was best for Sasuke's development, and Jiraiya knew very well that sometimes you could get so caught up in a student learning a jutsu that you didn't fully think of the possible repercussions.

The silver haired jounin seemed to truly regret his actions, but no matter how hard he tried to earn Gai's forgiveness, there was nothing to be done. Jiraiya had been debating on having some words with Gai over the issue, but decided that if forgiveness were to come, it had to be from Gai himself, and no one could convince him to give it.

As for the mayor's girl, she slept fitfully, having nightmares one after another. Occasionally she'd wake up and sit up gasping, and Jiraiya would have to shush her and remind her she was alright. He felt sorry for the girl.

And then there was Naruto. _'Minato, Kushina… If you could see him now.' _Jiraiya though, looking at the boy. Naruto was a source of pain for Jiraiya. A constant memento of his dear student and his lovely wife. He missed them. He could remember walking into their home, watching Kushina prepare the room for their baby, painting it with toads and making it look like a little mini Mt. Myoboku. Kushina and Minato would invite him over for dinner, and the three of them would discuss all of their plans for the baby, until one day, they told him that they'd decided on the baby's name. Naruto.

They loved one of Jiraiya's books so much, and were inspired by one of his characters so deeply that they wanted their child to grow up just like the character. To never give up. Surprisingly, they got their wish. But they would never live to see it.

Naruto was also a source of great joy for Jiraiya. Even though being reminded of Minato and Kushina was painful, it was at the same time pleasant to see that they lived on through their child. A child who was actually Jiraiya's godson. The older man had no idea how to tell Naruto though. He had been off trying to secure information on Orochimaru and Akatasuki for so long, he never quite got back to the village to check on the boy. He didn't feel like much of a godfather.

He knew though, he'd make it up to the boy. And that's where his dilemma was. Jiraiya wanted to take Naruto and train him. Take him away from Konoha, train him in everything he knew, just like he had taught Minato everything he knew. And then maybe, just maybe, he could make it up to Naruto, and to Minato and Kushina. The boy deserved that at least. He might have been gone in the past, but he was here now and he'd make sure he gave the boy the best he could.

The sun was rising slowly, and Jiraiya got up with a grunt, his body protesting the motions with creaking joints. Jiraiya couldn't help but give a small chuckle. He used to make fun of Sarutobi-sensei for getting old, and here he was, facing the same thing. At least he could still fight when it counted though, just like the Old Man.

He went over to Kakashi and Gai, nudging them awake with his foot. "Oy, get up."

Kakashi blinked above his mask, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. Gai simply hopped up off the ground, yelling something about youth. Jiraiya wanted to hit him.

The three each went around and woke the others up; the genin were yawning and stretching, taking their time about getting up. Surprising, considering they were in a camp and weren't entirely safe.

Kakashi handled it though, summoning his dogs again to bark loudly in their ears. Naruto jumped up shouting, and tried to kick the dog. Then he turned to see Kakashi crouching behind him smiling. "Yo," the jounin said, his smile in his eyes.

Naruto of course then tried to hit Kakashi, charging at him and shouting obscenities. It served as a small warmup for the genin. Behind them, Shino and Hinata were both getting up quicker thanks to the dogs, and began to pack there things back into their storage scrolls.

Jiraiya went over to the mayor's daughter, he couldn't remember her name, and shook her awake. She had gotten used to his presence after waking so many times during the night, and dark circles were under her eyes. She hadn't slept well. At least she was alive and safe though. That was all that mattered to Jiraiya at the moment.

And that thought led to Kurenai and Anko. He had done some small work on Kurenai's back last night during his watch, summoning a toad to gather certain herbs from Myoboku and create a salve. It should help a little bit with healing it, and if they were lucky, maybe some of the scarring.

He had Naruto summon shadow clones to carry the two jounin and the girl. Lucky brat. Jiraiya would have done it himself, but now wasn't the time for messing around. His concern was getting everyone back to Konoha safe. After a minor detour and dropping off the girl.

When they had finally arrived at the Mayor's house, they were surprised to see someone waiting for them. The genin quickly got into a defensive formation, but held back when Jiraiya told them to stop. They looked to their sides and saw Kakashi and Gai seemed at ease as well.

Then they noticed the Konoha forehead protector. It was a young woman, with dark brown hair and hazel eyes. She had an easy smile for the Konoha group, and waved as they approached. Once Naruto's clones got near though, she adopted a serious look and ushered them inside the Mayor's house.

Naruto almost laughed at the Mayor's face when his home was suddenly flooded with people, but he calmed considerably when Naruto's clones dispelled and he realized they had injured people. He looked up at Jiraiya, Kakashi and Gai.

"Who are you?"

Jiraiya stepped up. "I am Jiraiya, this is Kakashi-san and Gai-san. We are backup for this team. They managed to rescue your daughter but during their escape they ran into some dangerous ninja. It was in that second fight that Kurenai-san and Anko-san were injured."

The mayor nodded slowly. "I see. This woman, Fuu, I believe you said?" he asked, turning towards the woman. At her nod, he continued. "Fuu here said she was sent by the Hokage for this exact reason."

Kakashi sighed. "Good, so my ninken got there in time with my message."

Jiraiya nodded, and gave a wave to Fuu, letting her get to work. She immediately began removing the bandages to see what she was working with. "This ointment, what is this?"

"It's a salve from Mt. Myoboku," answered Jiraiya. "Don't worry, I am familiar with it, and it won't have any effect on your healing jutsu."

The woman nodded, inspecting the ointment for a moment, before she began healing Kurenai's back. She winced as she got a full feel of the damage done to Kurenai, but remained silent. She glanced at Anko. "How is she injured?"

"It has to do with her seal which I have taken care of, and Uchiha Itachi's tsukuyomi. She had a mental breakdown because of it."

Fuu's eyes widened at the name. "Itachi? I hadn't realized I would be heading out near him. Tsunade hadn't said what happened or how. I'd rather not deal with mental trauma, that is something that Tsunade-sama herself should deal with, perhaps with a Yamanaka's help."

"I thought as much. For now, at least her seal is stable."

Just then the mayor's wife stepped in and gasped. "Oh, Kazumi, you're safe!" she said, running forward to hold her girl didn't say anything. She just held her mother tight, and Naruto noticed that tears were forming in both women's eyes.

Jinji coughed, getting the attention back to him. "Well I do have to say that I am extremely grateful to you for bringing back my daughter safely, and as you can see so is my wife. I think then that some celebration is in order. Will you stay for dinner?"

Naruto opened his mouth to accept. He was starving, but a glance from Jiraiya silenced him. "Thank you," the older man said, "but I don't think that would be appropriate. You allowing us your house for Fuu here to heal Kurenai-san is reward enough. As soon as we are sure Kurenai-san is stable, we will be out of your way and back to Konoha. Anko-san still needs specialized treatment."

"Actually, Jiraiya-sama," Fuu spoke up. "Kurenai is okay to travel as it is. I have healed most of what I could. I'm not sure if she will have scars or not, she had already begun to heal on her own before I got to her. She is well enough for the trip back to Konoha however."

Jiraiya looked back at Jinji. "Well, it seems we'll be on our way then."

Jinji nodded with a smile. "Of course. You are all always welcome here at my home."

When they had finally reach Konoha later, Naruto was still grumbling about missing out on his food, while Hinata tried unsuccessfully to invite him to eat with her back in Konoha. Jiraiya briefly wondered if he should give the girl some help, but then thought better of it. Kurenai and Anko, although unrealistic, might actually like the boy. In which case, Naruto was his hero. The Hyuuga girl seemed too shy anyway for someone so loud and boisterous like Naruto.

When they had finally reached the Hokage's office, Jiraiya had dismissed all thoughts of the Hyuuga girl from his mind. As the senior ninja in the group, he had to make the report, for both his own group and for Kurenai's team. Not to mention he had finally decided that he would take Naruto under his wing, and he wasn't taking no for an answer.

As they finally got there, Kakashi and Gai both excused themselves. Jiraiya glanced over at the genin, dismissing them and telling Fuu to make sure Kurenai and Anko were taken care of at the hospital. When Naruto started to walk off with the two women, he grabbed him by the shoulder, stopping him in his tracks.

"Not you, Naruto."

The genin looked up at him, confused. "What? Why? They're my sensei, ero-sennin! And also—"

"I'm know, brat. And I said no. You can't do anything for Kurenai and Anko right now, and you really shouldn't be showing special attention to both of them. Some people in Konoha won't be happy with this weird little budding relationship. It's not exactly the norm. Go play with Shino or that Hyuuga girl, or just wait in your apartment. I'll find you when I'm done with Tsunade."

Naruto glared at him. "I don't _play_. I'm a bit older than that."

"Yeah, yeah, now go away." Jiraiya said, waving his hand.

"Fine. Whatever, ero-sennin." Naruto huffed and sped off in the direction of his apartment. Jiraiya nodded. He didn't want to come off so bluntly to Naruto, but he really wasn't in the mood at the moment. He'd had a stressful few days, and now he had to convince Tsunade to let him train the boy, away from the village.

Just then, an ANBU appeared in front of Jiraiya. "Hokage-sama will see you now, Jiraiya-sama."

Jiraiya nodded, and motioned for the man to lead him in. When the man opened the door to the Hokage's office, Tsunade was on him in an instant.

"Well? What happened? Is everyone okay? How is Naruto?"

"Slow down, Tsunade…" Jiraiya said. The woman looked like she'd been running. Worked herself up with worry, he supposed.

"The kid is fine. So are the other genin. We managed to find them just in time. Itachi and Kisame were both giving them trouble."

"Kisame? From the seven swordsmen of the mist?"

"Yes, that Kisame." Jiraiya answered. Seeing that Tsunade wasn't going to interrupt again, he went on. "When we got there, Kurenai was already injured by Kisame's sword. She's okay, she's stable," he said, forestalling the coming question. "But the genin were in a tough spot. Naruto had actually pulled out the Kyuubi's chakra, and was a little roughed up; Itachi seemed to have broken his nose. Of course, that healed."

"Jiraiya, stop rambling and get on with it!" Tsunade yelled.

"Right, right. Anyway, we got there in time and managed to make them retreat, but when Anko went in to try and apprehend one of them Itachi caught her in his Tsukuyomi. Her curse seal acted up, buying them time to escape as we took care of Kurenai and Anko. I managed to stabilize her seal, but As for any mental trauma she's suffered, I can't say. I'm sure that's better left to you."

Tsunade nodded. "And Fuu? Did you run into her?"

Jiraiya nodded. "Yes, we camped for the night, setting a perimeter, and then returned the mayor's daughter that next day. Fuu met us at Jinji-san's house and worked on Kurenai enough for us to make the trip all the way back to Konoha."

"That's a relief. I'll take a look at Anko immediately." Tsunade went to the door and leaned out. "Get a Yamanaka for me. I will need their help with a patient with psychological trauma."

"Hai, Hokage-sama!" a voice answered.

"Tsunade, there's one more thing I need to talk to you about." Jiraiya said, stalling the woman.

She closed the door, turned around and crossed her arms. "And what would that be?" she asked, raising and eyebrow.

"I will be taking Naruto out of the village to train him."

"What? That's too dangerous Jiraiya! Especially after this! How can you think I'd say yes to this?"

"I'm not expecting you to say yes. I will be taking Naruto and training him."

"So you're just going to oppose my authority?"

"If I have to, yes. And don't think I'd have any trouble losing all of those ANBU kids. Even with Naruto in tow. I could do it blindfolded and without chakra."

Tsunade glared at him, gathering her chakra into her fist.

Jiraiya knew he had to convince her fast. Fighting Tsunade wouldn't be pleasant. "You know as well as I do that I am the most qualified to protect that kid. He's my godson as well, and Minato entrusted him to me."

"Oh so now you'll take the responsibility?"

"That's a low blow, Tsunade. You know I had other responsibilities to deal with. One of which allowed me to save that kids life the other day. If not for me, we'd have no idea about Akatsuki."

Tsunade grabbed Jiraiya by his shirt, pulling him close. "And what if things go wrong, Jiraiya? You can't expect to take on an entire organization that includes Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame all by yourself."

"I don't. I won't have to, not in Mount Myoboku."

Tsunade let him go, her eyes widening in shock. "You're taking him there?"

"Yes, at first. And then I'll train him there, in everything I know. I'll be grooming him as my successor as well, so when he is ready, we will be traveling outside of Mount Myoboku, so he knows who my contacts are and how to run an eyes and ears network," explained Jiraiya.

Tsunade nodded, studying Jiraiya's face. "I see," she said. "I'll see what I can do." And then, with renewed fury, she grabbed Jiraiya's shirt again. "But if anything, anything happens to him Jiraiya, you're as good as dead."

Jiraiya nodded. The last thing he wanted to deal with was a furious Tsunade. She'd already almost killed him once in his life, when he had tried peeping on her. With that, he decided it was the best time to excuse himself. He was opening the door when Tsunade spoke one more time.

"Jiraiya?" at the sound of her voice, he stopped, midway through the threshold. "I'm sending you on a mission with him and his team. Consider it a test to see if Naruto will be a good fit for you. A probationary period for you."

"But he's my godson!" Jiraiya said incredulously

"Jiraiya! I've decided!" Tsunade said in a tone which left no room for argument.

Jiraiya nodded, giving in. If this is what it took to have his way, so be it. He listened to the mission briefing from Tsunade, and then finally left, closing the door behind him. It was time to see Naruto and tell him about the mission tomorrow.

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**End of CHAPTER 22**

I hope you all liked it! This was my first time ever writing something like Anko's section, with that tint of disturbing horror. Let me know how I did, I feel a bit proud of it, but I'd like to know if it was effective at all for you guys. I'd really like to know how to improve it also!

As for Jiraiya taking Naruto away, yes, it will be happening soon. Keep in mind that book 2 will deal with Jiraiya training Naruto away from Konoha, so book 1 willllll hopefully end soon. I don't have a set schedule on how many chapters. (I hope, at least. I'm excited about writing book 2)

Also, Happy Holidays!

The next chapter will be out hopefully sometime after New Years. (Maybe closer to the 5th)

Also, please point out any errors you see. I'd appreciate it so I can go back and fix it. I've checked a few times, but even so I know I'm prone to miss things in my own writing.


	23. A Battle of Minds

Disclaimer– "Imagination grows by exercise, and contrary to common belief, is more powerful in the mature than in the young." – W. Somerset Maugham

The Maelstrom of Konoha **-1.23**

**The Tale of a Young Boy's Ascent into the Legends**

_So here is the next chapter. I'd like to remind everyone that I will be updating I,Hinata in a few days. For the uninitated, I,Hinata is a dystopian book in which Hinata writes an account of what has happened to Konoha in a journal. She is expecting to die soon (through execution). It is Naru/Hina. I will refrain from giving any more details since some things I think should be discovered through reading it. Give it a chance please!_

_On another note, I think I will be trying to make the chapters a little bit shorter for the stories so I can update quicker. We'll see how that works out. Enjoy the chapter! - Cantor_

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The dull thunk a kunai digging into wood was the only sound on the training ground as Naruto hurled one kunai after another at the tree trunk. Silently, he was fuming at how Jiraiya spoke to him. He threw the kunai so fast and haphazardly that he barely even took the time to aim. He wasn't really getting much practice in this way, but he needed some way to vent.

To his side, Shino and Hinata were sitting, watching him. Like Jiraiya had suggested, he had gone to find Shino and Hinata, but he hardly _played_. That was insulting. In fact, Naruto hadn't even spoken a word to Shino or Hinata. He had simply found them, turned, and began to kill one practice target after another. He was already beginning to sweat.

Naruto could practically feel Shino and Hinata exchanging glances behind him. He only became angrier at their silence. It wasn't that he didn't realize they were at a loss for why he was so frustrated; Naruto knew he hadn't spoken to them or explained anything. But still, he'd wish they'd say something. This silence was awkward and unnerving. He threw another kunai, grunting at the force he put into it.

He gave a frustrated sigh, and ran his hand through his hair before turning around abruptly to face his two teammates. "What?" he asked harshly.

Both of them sat a little straighter, almost like children facing an angry parent's interrogation. Shino was the first one to recover. He adjusted his sunglasses and focused on Naruto. "You've been showing signs of anger ever since you got here. We were merely concerned and were wondering if you wished to speak about it. We are your team, after all."

Hinata nodded in agreement while pushing her fingers together. A nervous tic of hers.

Naruto spared them a glance, but otherwise ignored them as he kept training. He realized he was being excessively angry all of the sudden, but somehow Jiraiya had managed to get under his skin. He summoned several clones and began sparring with them. He wanted to hit something.

The sudden need to dodge fists and kicks was exactly what he needed as the clones charged at him without warning, each delivering their own attack. The first one of the group pivoted on his left leg and swung his right up to nearly connect with his temple, only for Naruto to grab his ankle and pull hard over his shoulder, throwing the clone behind him.

He turned quickly to block a punch from another clone with his left arm, and swung his right around in a hook to get a solid connect on the clones ribcage. It gave a grunt, and its eyes widened in pain before dispersing. Without missing a beat, Naruto summoned another clone to takes its place. He didn't want their numbers to dwindle. He wanted the constant challenge of fighting a group.

Hinata began to speak up. "N-Naruto-kun, we are just-" 

"Not now Hinata. Just. not. now." Naruto said, blocking a kick from one of his clones. In his periphery, he saw Hinata flinch at his tone. Inwardly he groaned. Why was he being like this? He needed to calm down. Couldn't they see he just needed some time to vent?

Suddenly, Shino was there, right in between Naruto and one of his clones. Naruto halted his punch, and nearly stumbled from throwing his weight off. Shino caught his arm and steadied him. He didn't say anything, but just looked calmly at Naruto. The clones had all stopped moving.

"It is obvious you are upset. And to speak like that to Hinata was most uncalled for, Naruto."

Naruto nodded, dispelling his clones. He sighed, hanging his head. "I know." he mumbled. He looked over at Hinata, who was looking at him with eyes that looked on the verge of tears.

"Look I'm-" Naruto stopped, and groaned. This wasn't the way to go about apologizing. He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. He paused, closing his eyes, and took a deep breath. He had to calm down. When he opened them and saw Hinata's teary eyes again, it bit at him. "I'm very sorry Hinata-chan," Naruto said sincerely, making sure she noticed the suffix on her name. "It's just something that Ero-sennin said to me...It's nothing really, I'm just over reacting."

Hinata gave a small nod, and weak smile. She opened her mouth to speak, but just as she did so another shinobi, an older man, landed next to her and kneeled. He was a Hyuuga, and judging from how he was hiding his forehead behind his hitate, he was probably from the branch house.

"Pardon me, Hinata-sama," the man said. Naruto vaguely recognized the jounin, a man by the name of Manabe Hyuuga. "Your father requests your presence."

Hinata glanced at Shino and Naruto. They both nodded, understanding that even though it was phrased as a request, it was really a summons that she shouldn't ignore. Hinata got up and left with the older Hyuuga, the two of them jumping through the trees to speed off to the Hyuuga clan compound.

Shino and Naruto stood together in silence for some time before finally the blond genin turned and walked off abruptly. Shino, whether he was surprised or not, took it in stride and fell alongside his blond teammate.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

Naruto kept walking, heading off of the training grounds and hurrying onto the streets of Konoha. He kept his eyes straight ahead, weaving through the steadily growing throngs of people as he answered.

"Well I'm not just going to sit there like Jiraiya said and not see Kurenai-sensei," Naruto said determinedly.

"Or Anko." Shino added helpfully, knowing that Naruto had the other jounin on his mind as well.

"Or Anko." Naruto agreed. He kept walking at a brisk pace before turning down another street to head towards the Konoha hospital. On either side of the street shops were open, and civilians dressed in brighter hues and comfortable clothes mingled with shinobi, who were dressed in darker clothes from blue to black and green, and armed to the teeth. Regardless of their status, they all meandered down through the streets, some shopping, others heading to the training grounds in the opposite direction, and still others heading off to missions or home.

Shino said nothing as they walked. Perhaps he understood that now that Naruto had opened up a little bit, he didn't need to prod. Naruto would eventually open up on his own. He was proven right when Naruto spoke up again.

"Sorry again for my attitude before Shino. I normally don't get like that," Naruto explained. "It's just the old pervert told me I can't see Kurenai-sensei or Anko. He thinks it would cause problems and reveal our relationship and everything." Naruto waved his hands in the air in a mock frantic gesture to show what he thought of that idea. "Well you know what? One is my sensei and the other has taught me things too! Not to mention we just had a mission with them and they got hurt! You could go see them and nobody would care, why would anyone care if I went? I'm going to see them."

Whether or not Shino 'knew', he didn't give any outward sign, but just merely waited for Naruto to continue. Part of being so quiet all the time gave him the advantage of both being able to develop his observational skills, as well as keep quiet in conversations like this and none would think anything odd of it.

"And you know what else? I'm tired of people underestimating me, or treating me like I'm incapable of handling myself. And then when Jiraiya told me to 'go _play'_," he said with a sneer, "I dunno, it just kind of pissed me off, you know? It's like he thinks I'm some baby. Dumb old man," he muttered.

"Well if that's how you feel whenever someone doesn't respect you enough, you're never going to get anywhere, kid. Respect is something you earn out of people. And whining like a little brat hasn't done much to change my opinion of you so far."

Naruto turned, his eyes wide at the man's voice. It was Jiraiya, sitting above them on an overhang from one of the shop entrances. He was eating and apple, lounging, apparently just watching the sea of people walk aimlessly down the street. Naruto knew better.

How long have you been there?" Naruto asked. The real question, however, was obvious. How much had Jiraiya heard?

"Long enough, brat," Jiraiya answered, taking a bite of the apple. Then, with his mouth still full, he went on. "Long enough to consider not taking you on this next mission."

Naruto's mouth worked soundlessly, and he barely even noticed when Jiraiya tossed another apple to him. He caught it, just barely, before it hit him in on the head. Jiraiya nodded over his shoulder.

"Come on, the two ladies can wait. We're heading out immediately. Aburame, sorry but this one's just me and the brat."

"But we just got back into the village!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Yeah, so what? I need more inspiration!" Jiraiya said. "Now, are you coming or not? I want to get this over with."

Naruto balked for a moment. Of course he wanted to go on a mission, but he also wanted to see Kurenai and Anko, and maybe stop for some ramen, and-

Shino's hand on his shoulder stopped his thoughts, and the Aburame boy spoke up. "Naruto, I will tell Kurenai and Anko you wanted to see them but you're on a mission. They will understand of course."

Naruto blinked. He hadn't even agreed to go on the mission yet. He looked over his shoulder to see Shino give him a nod towards Jiraiya and a slight nudge. Naruto held up his hand to placate him. "Alright, alright. Guess I'm coming Ero-sennin."

Jiraiya jumped down off the overhand and landed in front of the two genin. "Good. Let's go. I'll fill you in on the details on the way."

Shino walked the two walk away, slowly disappearing in the crowd before he turned away and continued on to the hospital. With Kurenai and Anko finally in Konoha, perhaps the medic nins will have been able to help them already. 

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

In the shade of one of the shops down the street, Sasuke leaned against the wooden support post of the overhang. His twin Sharingan followed Naruto and Jiraiya as they walked together down the street, slowly approaching him.

Neither one seemed to notice his presence as they looked lost in conversation. The blonde was walking with his hands folded behind his head, leaning back slightly as if he were lying down. Jiraiya was to his left, looking down at the boy and waving his hands emphatically as he spoke. Naruto said something offhand, and the Jiraiya stopped mid-sentence, blinking. Suddenly, he threw his head back and laughed. He swatted at Naruto's head playfully.

The two of them walked right by, and Sasuke for a moment heard Jiraiya's voice over the crowd. He was explaining some sort of mission, that much was clear. Sasuke's eyes narrowed, and suddenly he felt a sharp pain in his finger. He recoiled, and pulled his hand back, looking at his hand to see a small drop of blood dripping from beneath his nail. He looked up at the wooden post that he'd been gripping and realized he'd dug his nails in deep. A man walked up and caught his eye.

"Yalright kid? You had a white knuckle grip there for a second," he said, jerking his chin towards Sasuke's hand.

Sasuke didn't say anything, and just walked away from the man, inspecting his hand. He had a splinter. Pretty deep too, wedged between his finger and his fingernail.

He grabbed a kunai from his holder and carefully dug the splinter out with the kunai's tip. He hissed at the sting when he cut himself a bit, but it wasn't bad so he didn't worry too much. More importantly he was concerned about Jiraiya and Naruto. How the dobe could get the attention of a Sannin was beyond him. Naruto was nothing. When they had graduated the academy, Naruto was terrible. Then all of the sudden he starts to get better. Loads better. But still, a failure was a failure, and a prodigy like Sasuke should always be able to beat a dobe. Blindfolded, if they had to. So why didn't Sasuke feel like he could do that?

Sasuke was an elite. An _Uchiha. _The clan that struck fear in the hearts of shinobi across the elemental nations. So why, then, wasn't he the one going on missions with Jiraiya the Sannin? Not once had Jiraiya even looked in Sasuke's direction. Not only that, no one was looking in Sasuke's direction anymore. Not since they all blamed him for Lee's failure. Now Uchiha Sasuke was being ostracized by the community, shoved on a team of genin fresh out of the academy, and nobody seemed to care. Just like nobody seemed to care after Itachi murdered the clan.

_'There is someone who will welcome you.'_ Sasuke rejected the thought as quickly as it came. Ever since Kabuto, that traitor and spy, had showed up at his house, Sasuke had been thinking of Orochimaru's offer. He'd been trying, and failing, to dismiss the idea. Orochimaru had caused enough problems. He was an enemy of Konoha, and if Sasuke accepted his training, Sasuke would be an enemy too. A traitor. No better than Kabuto.

Still, what Orochimaru promised was appealing. The cursed seal practically raged with power. Sasuke could feel it—every waking moment—on his shoulder. He could feel it call to him whenever he used his chakra. Sasuke had dreams about when he defeated those sound shinobi in the forest of death during the chunin exams. Strangely, the dreams weren't disturbing at all. They were some of the most pleasurable dreams he had. They were far better than dreams of his family dying. Sasuke just wished he could have those dreams of him fighting that way against Itachi. Those ones never came though.

Sasuke rubbed his shoulder, right where the curse was. Sometimes it ached. He wondered if that crazy snake jounin had the same issue. She apparently had the seal as well….and was also once Orochimaru's apprentice, if the stories were to be believed.

Sasuke's eyes widened. Anko had been an apprentice to Orochimaru. Was she strong? He didn't really know. He'd had that one mission with her in wave, but he hadn't really seen her do much. He had to see her though. She was in the hospital, wasn't she? He thought he'd heard something about that. Sasuke turned and hurried through the streets, knocking a man over in his haste. If anyone could help him figure out what to do, it'd be that crazy snake woman. 

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Hayate leaned against a tree while he watched the two girls spar. The sun was overbearing today, so the leafy shade was extremely welcome. Ever since Asuma and Gai had agreed to let him teach Tenten and Sakura kenjutsu, he'd been wondering if he shouldn't have given his academy team a second chance to become a genin team under him. He liked teaching, as it turned out. Off to the side, the two teams were training. Shikamaru and Choji and Ino were all practicing their formation, while Gai's team, Kiba, Lee, and Neji, were all doing some light sparring. Gekko had Sakura and Tenten to himself, apart from the others.

Sakura and Tenten were squared off, both of them holding practice wooden sword in their hands. They slowly inched closer to each other, and Gekko winced when Sakura's fought caught on something in the ground, making her almost lose her footing.

That tiny second was all Tenten needed as she lunged forward and struck down at Sakura, who barely managed to firm her grip on her sword to block it. She grimaced at the strength Tenten put into the blow. Tenten didn't miss a beat. She pulled the sword back and went in to swing the sword into Sakura's ribs, and when Sakura brought her sword down to block that, Tenten stepped in towards Sakura and swung the hilt of her sword at Sakura, connecting solidly with her temple.

Sakura fell, and for a moment Gekko thought she was crumpling to the ground unconscious, but Sakura proved that wrong by tucking into a roll and moving away from Tenten. She got up and put her hand to her head for a moment. Tenten gave her space.

"Don't do that!" Gekko nearly shouted. Both girls looked at him in surprise. "Sakura, even if it hurts, you don't let go of your sword like that. Holding it with one hand makes it easy for you to be disarmed." He stepped forward, and with his own wooden sword flicked Sakura's sword, knocking it out of her hand with practiced ease. He turned back to Tenten, pointing at her with his sword. She stood straight and kept her eyes on his sword, nearly leaning away. Did she think he'd hit her?

"Tenten, you never give people time if you have an advantage like that. You must be quick. Ruthless. We are not samurai with katana in an honorable battle. We are shinobi. We don't follow stupid ideas like that."

Light laughter twinkled over through the leafy foliage, and Gekko stopped berating the girls to turn towards the voice. "Yugao," he smiled. "Nice of you to join us."

"Of course, Gekko-kun," she said, jumping down from the tree branch she'd been hiding in. Yugao was in her standard ANBU garb. She removed her mask, clipping it onto her belt, revealing her beautiful features. Her violet hair framed her delicate features perfectly, and her bright eyes shined beautifully in the light. She walked closer to him, and gave him a light peck on the cheek.

"You shouldn't be so strict with them, Gekko," she said, appraising the girls. "They are only just beginning, after all."

"I expect the best, Yugao, you know that." he said, giving the girls a look to let them know he was speaking for them as well. Both of them were sitting down, breathing a bit heavy. They had been training for a while, and this was their first break.

"And it looks like they are working hard to do that," Yugao commented. "Just look at them."

Gekko ran his eyes over the girls. They had been working hard. Sakura's left leg was covered in bruises from Tenten's blows, and it looked like she might be getting a bump on the side of her head from Tenten's last hit. Tenten for her part had a swollen wrist from some faulty blocks, and a few scrapes as well here and there. Their hair was messy and they were sweaty-not that it mattered, they were training-but it was true, the girls had been working hard.

Yugao turned towards the girls. "Gekko trained me initially in the sword as well, and now I'm one of the better swordswomen in ANBU because of him. You two are lucky to have him training you. He's one of the best swordsmen in Konoha."

If Gekko thought that Tenten and Sakura were going to show any appreciation to him just then, he was sorely disappointed. The two girls were just sitting, staring at Yugao with stars in their eyes.

"Looks like someone has some fangirls," Gekko whispered in Yugao's ear. The woman gave a small laugh and pushed at Gekko playfully.

"Okay, listen up!" Gekko shouted, getting the girls' attention. I've asked Yugao here to help me train you two. We're each going to work with you and try to share anything we can to get you both up to tip-top shape in sword fighting. After we're through with you, no genin will be able to challenge you two, and you'll definitely put most chuunin through a tough fight as well. Now, let's continue."

Tenten and Sakura looked up at the two with huge smiles. Even as beat up and as tired as they looked, they were clearly excited. Both of them picked up their swords and immediately squared off again, ready for another spar. Gekko and Yugao walked off to the side to watch and offer advice.

As they were about to begin, Inuzuka Hana barged into the clearing. She was a strong woman, an Inuzuka clearly, judging from the facial tattoo and the three dogs following her. Even so, she didn't have the feral look that most Inuzuka have. She was more delicate...more feminine.

She strode over to Kiba, pulling him aside. The boy gave out a startled yelp as he was bodily dragged away from the group, leaving Neji and Lee to look on, stunned, as their spar was interrupted. The siblings had a somewhat heated discussion off to the side, letting all the others stare at them uncomfortably. Suddenly Kiba's shoulders slumped, and he walked back to the group, mainly to Gai, while his sister waited.

"Gai-sensei. My sister just told me about the council. I um...I have to go for now, please."

Gai looked at him seriously for a moment, and then his eyes flickered back to Hana. She gave him a nod, and then Gai, apparently satisfied, turned back to Kiba. "Alright Kiba-kun. Go, but be here for next practice. Our team's flames of youth cannot grow if we do not practice together!

Kiba nodded, and then ran back to Hana. They both left together, hurrying off to the Inuzuka clan compound. 

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"Welcome back, Kabuto-kun," Orochimaru said from his bed. The candlelight flickered shadows across his face. Kabuto could tell he was in pain despite the darkness though. He was still recovering from his fight with Sarutobi. "Did you talk with Sasuke-kun?"

Kabuto pushed his glasses up briefly. A habit. "Yes, Orochimaru-sama. I have to admit, getting into Konoha is so easy, it's a wonder other nations haven't brought Konoha to its knees before."

Orochimaru smiled. "Well now the Sound will be the first, Kabuto-kun."

"Yes, Orochimaru-sama. I'm looking forward to it."

"Enough about Konoha for now. How did your meeting with Sasuke-kun go?"

Kabuto chuckled, turning to a small table with a variety of bottles on it. Kabuto began to inspect them while he responded. Somewhere here was Orochimaru's medicine. "Wonderfully, Orochimaru-sama. Sasuke-kun is so caught up with Itachi all I had to do was mention your strength. You killed the Sandaime, you're recognized as the strongest Sannin, and as a genius that only appears once a generation. I left behind a small hint that you could give him the power to fight Itachi, and I could see the gears working in the brats head. He will come."

Orochimaru smiled evilly. "Good, good. I will give Sasuke-kun his revenge, but it will be me performing it."

Kabuto walked back from the table towards Orochimaru's bed. He handed Orochimaru a tincture of medicine for his pain, which the older man took and drank eagerly. "Send out the sound four, Kabuto," he said, wiping his mouth. "They will have to be ready to guide Sasuke-kun to our village. Also bring Haku to me. I have a mission for her." 

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Kisame watched as Itachi calmly sipped his tea from across the table. The man was an enigma. He was a renowned criminal in the elemental nations, famous for slaughtering his own family, one of the most powerful clans, and yet here he was, calmly sipping tea, being the most polite person in the small restaurant. When Kisame had first heard of Itachi, he had imagined a cold hearted serial killer, crazed from his own power.

The real Itachi was so much different. He was wrapped in mystery, and no matter what, Kisame couldn't figure the man out. In a way, this made the swordsman all that much more respectful of the dojutsu user.

Itachi looked up at Kisame from his tea. "What is on your mind, Kisame?"

A sharklike smile answered him. "Mah, Itachi. You're just so puzzling sometimes. I've seen you kill five ninja without blinking, even when one begs for his life and mentions his family. I've seen you kill fresh genin when one team attacked us. And then I come with you here," Kisame motioned around the room. "And talk with the people here, even their kids, like some lost uncle."

Itachi gave a small smile. "Never forget what our ultimate goal is, Kisame. We don't have any reason to antagonize these people."

"Of course, Itachi. I was just sayin' it's odd to see the two sides of you is all."

"Hn. Well, more importantly Kisame, we need to figure out what we will do about Uzumaki Naruto. Our last encounter was most unfortunate."

"That damn Jiraiya!" Kisame hissed. "We were so close too! Next time I'll show him the meaner side of Samehada."

"Enough Kisame. We need to talk to our contacts and see when Naruto will be outside of the village next. We will strike then."

"Lead the way, Itachi-san," Kisame said with a smirk. 

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Nobody moved in the room. The silence was punctuated only by Anko's erratic breathing. She was lying in the bed, still unconscious. Tsunade was standing over her, studying Anko with a discerning eye. On the other side of the bed was Inoichi Yamanaka, a stern man with a serious face. He had offered to come personally to help Tsunade with Anko's psychological trauma. Shizune stood in the back of the room, holding Tonton. Nobody else was in less distraction, the better..

"Are you ready, Inoichi?" Tsunade asked, rolling up her sleeves.

The man nodded, setting his jaw. "Yes, ready when you are, Tsunade-sama."

Tsunade's lipped thinned grimly. "Let's begin then."

Inoichi laid his hands on Anko's head, closing his eyes, and Tsunade gently laid her palms over Anko's forehead. Together, their chakras combined to form a medical ninjutsu meant specifically for the mind. While Inoichi did not have any medical training, Tsunade could instead guide it and have control over the jutsu. An added benefit of using their chakra combined like this is that Inoichi could effectively communicate with Tsunade while he was inside Anko's mindscape. What's more, he could pull Tsunade in after him as well.

However, Inoichi did have a more personal part in the entire ordeal. As a Yamanaka, he could facilitate the entire process by delving into Anko's mind to find the source of the patients problems. When the technique began, Inoichi focused and dove right in.

He was floating. He was still in a wave of thickness, like molasses. Inoichi began swimming through it. It was the only way to really move through this area. It was always like this when you initially delved into someones mind. All of the unnecessary information, the clutter, the things even the patient didn't think about or remember-they were all there. But Inoichi wasn't concerned with these things. He needed to find the center, the working part of her brain that controlled all of this information. Once he went there, he could find out what was going on in Anko's mind. Hopefully, something there would be of use to them.

After only a little bit of searching he found a large, solid mass. It was always different in appearance depending on the individual. For Anko it was more sinuous, streched out, pulsing. Inoichi reached in and grabbed into it, and his view wobbled, fading in to whiteness, before fading back.

And his feet touched solid ground. Inoichi looked around. He was in a snowy field. A modest sized cottage was next to him. The front door opened, and a small girl jumped out. Behind her, two adults, probably the girl's parents, smiled and closed the door. Inoichi glanced down at the little girl, who had gotten up and quickly went about making a snowman. She was happy, bunblded up in a heavy coat that barely let her move freely, with mittens over here hands and a little hood that she had pulled up. While she was making the snowman some of her hair fell forward. It was a deep color, practically purple.

The girl looked up, practically looking through Inoichi, and the man gave a start. It was Anko. '_So these are her early memories? Why is she thinking about this?'_ Inoichi wondered. He had expected more recent thoughts, where Anko would be older.

Before long Anko left the snowman and hurried off to the small copse of woods nearby. Inoichi followed, curious about the significance of this memory. He watched her sneak around, smiling at her antics, being reminded of his Ino when she was just a little girl.

When she returned to the house though, Inoichi was filled with dread. He caught on a lot quicker than Anko about what was wrong. The door was open, steps led into the house, the lights were out unlike before... Something was very off. But where he would normally approach slowly, Anko did not, and he was forced to follow her as she slowly realized something was wrong too.

What's worse, even Inoichi wasn't prepared for what happened inside. "_Oh god. Tsunade-sama. This isn't good," _he sent through his mental link.

He felt, somehow, through the link, as Tsunade tensed. "_What is it?_" her voice came back.

"_Orochimaru... I had no idea. He killed her parents Tsunade, and then took her in." _

The memory flickered, and Inoichi found himself time and time again going through Anko's same traumatic experiences. The very things that she was dwelling on while unconscious. Each time the horrendous acts of Orochimaru were there for him to see, and each time Anko was different, more and more under Orochimaru's influence. From a child who was taken in by her parents' murderer, to a child who was brainwashed to forget the incident by that murderer, and to finally begin to think of that murderer as her own father figure. It was disgusting.

And all the while, Inoichi sat there as he experimented on her, even as she was awake to feel the pain. He watched as the seat and blood poured from her, and Orochimaru didn't even bat an eye. Inoichi couldn't even find the words to describe it to Tsunade.

Finally, he found himself in Konoha. He was in the street. The sun beat down on his neck. '_Where am I?' _Inoichi thought, looking around. Apartments were on either side of the street. He didn't really recognize any of them, save one. _'This is where Kurenai lives, isn't it?' _Something called him towards the door.

He started to walk forward. He climbed the stairs up to the front door. It was a deep red. _'Kurenai's favorite color,_' he thought to himself. Just as his hand reached out towards the doorknob, it turned. The door opened, and a hooded figure stepped out.

Her robes were covered in splatters of blood. As she stepped through the door, the hem of her robe dragged along the ground, leaving a blood smear. Inoichi took a step back and got into a stance reflexively. That was foolish. He was in a dream, people couldn't see him here.

He stiffened as the figure paused, looking at him silently. Then, wordlessly, the figure's hands rose to her hood, and pulled it down, revealing a pretty face with purple hair. And yet, she wasn't pretty. There was something off about her. Like looking at a reflection in a pond after the waters been splashed.

"I can see you, Inoichi-san," Anko said, with a smile far too happy, and far too disturbed.

_'This isn't good,_' Inoichi thought in a panic. _'This isn't supposed to happen._'

Tsunade's voice answered back. _'What's wrong?'_ Being able to hear Inoichi's horror lidden commentary throughout all of the memories and not be able to see them for herself had put needless stress on her. Together the two of them had find the memories Anko had been going through and they had sealed them off, or helped soothe them, allowing Anko's mind to deal with the trauma.

'_This shouldn't be happening,'_ Inoichi thought again. Not even truly taking in Tsunade's question.

Anko licked her lips. "And to think you were here this entire time. Orohimaru-sama wouldn't want you getting away with his secrets, Inoichi-san!"

With that, Anko sped forward in a blur. Inoichi barely brought his arms up in time to block her kick, and even then he was still thrown backwards into the apartment behind him. The wood splintered, and Inoichi's head smacked back into one of the beams, dazing him.

Anko was there with a follow up in a second, snakes hissing and her eyes gleaming. She hit him hard in the stomach, making him double over and cough. "Anko, what are you doing?" he asked through breaths.

"Killing you, of course," she said, pulling out a kunai.

The pause that her response took was all Inoichi needed as he kicked hard at the inside of her leg, kicking her foot out from under her, and slammed his fist into her chest, sending her sprawling back, and giving him space. Anko threw her kunai in mid fall, and Inoichi had to duck quickly to dodge it.

He jumped up on top of the rooftop, away from Anko. _'Anko knows I'm here. I'm fighting her.'_

_'What?_' Tsunade's voice came back. _'What do you mean? How does she know you're there?'_

'_I don't know. But she's already got blood on her after leaving an apartment and she attacked me.'_

Abruptly Inoichi realized he hadn't been attacked yet. He walked over to the edge of the roof to peek over, and saw that Anko had moved. There wasn't any sign of her in the street.

"Sen'eijashu!" she shouted from directly below him.

Inoichi had just that moment to jump out of the way as the roof exploding upwards and snakes came hurtling upwards at him. He pulled out a kunai and slashed at them as they got closer, fending them off. He had only seen Anko fight a number of times, but he knew he couldn't let these snakes grab him.

Anko jumped up through the whole in the roof to land a bit away from him, throwing several kunai towards him. Inoichi held his kunai up to block them but then saw that one of the ones in the middle had a tag wrapped around it. His eyes widened, and he dove to the side out of the way just in time. The kunai exploded, and in the roar sent the surrounding kunai off in other directions like shrapnel.

Inoichi rolled over and tried to block them all, but only managed to protect his chest. One kunai dug into his right leg. He roared out in pain and clutched his leg just as Anko appeared over him, her leg raised high above her to bring smashing down.

Inoichi rolled again just in time as her heel exploded into the wooden roof, sending splinters into the air.

He stood up quickly and saw another punch from Anko coming at him. He roughly knocked it over his left shoulder with his right arm, and stepping inside the punch closer to Anko, brought his right elbow down onto her shoulder, knocking her over. As she fell, he followed up with another kick from his left and sent her crashing away onto another roof. Pain shot up his other leg as he put weight on it. The kunai had dug itself in deep.

_'Tsunade-sama, I need you in here. I can't fight Anko on my own.'_ Anko was, after all, originally Orochimaru's apprentice. She was skilled as a child, and she was also one of the more skilled jounin's in Konoha. The only reason she didn't have more acclaim was her past with one of Konoha's most notorious missing nin.

'_Hurry up and bring me in then! I'm leaving Shizune in charge in here!' _she shouted back, nearly snarling.

'_I'm doing it as fast as I can!' _he yelled back.

Anko was on him again, breathing in deep and exhaling. "Katon: Gokyakuu no jutsu!"

Inoichi used kawarimi to get behind Anko, trying to kick her in the back. A snake shot out of her sleeve though and coiled around his leg, bringing him up into the air and slamming him down through the roof. Inoichi coughed as the dust settled, but he didn't have time to waste. He gathered chakra and ran out into the street, only to find Anko already waiting for him.

In a tight spot, he had to buy time from Anko. "Shinranshin no jutsu!"

A Yamanaka technique, it only required him to put out his chakra to control an opponent. It didn't have the same risk of him leaving his own body undefended.

It hit Anko and for a moment, she seemed to pause, as if she were struggling with the jutsu controlling her body. Inoichi smirked. He had her now. He felt in the back of his mind, where his link with Tsuande was, and yanked. It would pull her into this world in a bit.

Slowly, Anko's appearance began to change as the cursed seal spread along her body. She smiled. "Inoichi-san, you don't really think that would stop me, do you?"

"No, but this will!" Tsunade's voice came, yelling as she punched at Anko with superhuman strength.

Anko turned and used one of her own snakes to try and grab hold of Tsunade's arm, but it didn't stop her. Tsunade's momentum carried through and still hit Anko, sending her flying into the building that Inoichi had originally seen her come out of. Kurenai's apartment.

It was quiet. Anko didn't come out. Tsunade and Inoichi shared a look, both of them standing at the ready in the middle of the street. Together, they both inched up to the stairs, looking in every direction, trying to cover for each other as they moved forward. Anko could be anywhere.  
The door was hanging off of its hinges. Anko's impact had knocked the frame of the building pretty badly. Tsunade kicked the door hard, flinging it across the room in a bang.

Immediately the smell of blood filled the air. The sight inside made Inoichi gag. Kurenai was there, her eyes open, staring at the door. Dead. Naruto as well, his blood draining out of his body onto the floor.

"Naruto!" Tsunade gasped, running forward to check his vitals.

Inoichi tried to grab her. If Tsunade lost herself in someones mindscape, they became part of it. This was part of the dangers of a Yamanaka technique. People with wills much stronger than the jutsu user could trap them here and flip the technique around. He hadn't had time to explain that danger to Tsunade yet. Tsunade, by focusing on Naruto's life, and not realizing it was part of Anko's dream, made it seem as though it was real. Inoichi had to snap her out of it.

He rushed forward to pull her away from Naruto when a snake wrapped around his leg from behind, and pulled him out of the apartment. The snake bit down on his good leg, and immediately Inoichi felt it start to go numb.

Anko stepped into his view, licking her lips. "Now now, Inoichi-san, we can't have you helping Tsunade-sama, can we? Orochimaru-sama is most unhappy with you..."

Inoichi struggled with his hands, fighting the numbness to make them form into a seal. Anko didn't pay any mind. He was poisoned, they both knew it. She was slowly drawing a kunai, licking it slowly.

But Inoichi hadn't given up yet. "Shinranshin no jutsu!" he yelled, or tried to. It came out more as a hoarse whisper.

Anko paused for a moment, her eyes widenning. Then, "Just kidding!" she said, smirking a she took a step forward.

Inoichi smiled, and opened his mouth. Words wouldn't come though.

"What's that? Inoichi-kun?"

"I wasn't aiming for you," he said, just as one of Anko's snakes turned and bit her on the neck and another wrapped around her limbs.

Anko's eyes widened as the fangs dug into her, and quickly tried to slap the snake away, only to be brought to the ground by her own reptiles. She struggled for a few moments before she unsummoned the snakes. It bought Inoichi time though. With the last of his strength, he threw an kunai with an explosive tag towards Kurenai's apartment. He needed to wake up Tsunade somehow...

With that, his eyes closed, praying that he'd done enough. 

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**End of CHAPTER 23**

Well I hope you all liked it! Sorry to leave it on a cliffhanger, I originally meant to leave it more resolved, but as I was writing it I felt like that spot was perfect instead. Don't worry though. I plan on updating again soon! Remember, I,Hinata will be updated in a few days. Maelstrom will probably be a week until chapter 24.

Note about Naruto's character this chapter: He's a teenager. He is bound to be moody sometimes. I also need to show him maturing, and by putting him first in an immature light, it makes that ordeal easier. Same goes for any OOC that Jiraiya has. He will eventually become more and more like a father to Naruto.

Feel free to leave a review with comments or questions. I will also answer a PM as well! 


	24. Clan Plots

Disclaimer– "I just write what I wanted to write. I write what amuses me. It's totally for myself. – J.K. Rowling.

The Maelstrom of Konoha**-1.24**

**The Tale of a Young Boy's Ascent into the Legends**

_Well this chapter took a lot longer than anticipated. So I apologize for that. I had some other priorities to deal with before I could really sit down to write. I also just read a fantastic novel by Gene Wolfe that sucked me in. Anyway, I've already started chapter 25 and the next chapter of I, Hinata. Hope you enjoy this one! – C._

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The explosion rocked the building and shocked Tsunade out of her stupor. Debris fell from the ceiling and dust filled the air. Tsunade coughed as she tried to get out into the open so she could see. Naruto. Where was Naruto? Where was she? Tsunade looked around, taking in her surroundings. _Someone's apartment. _She could see some light streaming in from a whole in the roof. She jumped up, hoping she'd be able to see something from the vantage point.

She squinted through the sudden brightness as she got outside. Konoha. She knew this street, vaguely. Why was she here? She glanced down at the street, and sudden realization hit her.

Anko was standing over Inoichi, her hand rubbing her neck. Sudden realization hit Tsunade. She was in Anko's mind, helping Inoichi fight Anko. Tsunade didn't understand all of it, but she knew Anko had to be stopped. Tsunade gathered chakra in her fist and leapt off of the roof just as Anko drew a kunai.

"Sorry Inoichi-kun, but my snakes won't stop me. Orochimaru-sama made sure to make me immune!" she said in a chipper voice.

"Then maybe this will!" Tsunade growled out as she landed behind Anko, who only had a moment to turn and try to raise her arms in a block before Tsunade felt her fist connect, slamming through the arm, shattering the bones, and making a solid hit in Anko's ribcage.

The purple haired jounin doubled over, and a Tsunade was rewarded with the grunt and the satisfying sound of bones breaking just before Anko flew away, tumbling along the ground, sliding in the dirt before hitting one of the buildings.

Tsunade didn't give her time to recover. She wasn't extremely fast like Kakashi or Gai, in fact she was the slowest of the Sannin, but when she got a hit off her enemy didn't usually climb back up very fast. Just as Anko pushed herself up, Tsunade was there, throwing a haymaker with all of her chakra pumped into it. Anko didn't have a chance. Tsunade wasn't even sure Anko had the time to recover her senses to realize she needed to block. Tsunade's fist slammed into the side of Anko face, and Anko's head twisted around, knocking her out like a light and sending her flying once more. Tsunade didn't bother following this time. She could count on one hand the amount of people she knew that would get up from that. She turned and hurried over to check on Inoichi.

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

Shizune was breathless. Not long ago, Tsunade had suddenly left her in charge before slumping to the ground, unconscious. She didn't know what was going on, but that was when all hell broke loose. Just after Tsunade slumped to the ground and Shizune had started to pull her over to put her in a chair in the corner of the room, Anko's body gave a violent jerk in the bed.

Shizune had to run out of the room and immediately call the nurses on staff into the room. They had just begun to hold Anko down and put Tsunade-sama in a chair when Anko's body gave another jerk, and her curse seal began to spread.

"Get the chakra suppressors!" Shizune yelled to the nurses, who ran outside to one of the supply cabinets and came hurrying back with rolls of paper. The paper was written with seal after seal, all identical. They were seals meant to immediately absorb and suppress any chakra that a patient emitted. They were usually applied so that a patient's chakra didn't get in the way of the medic-nins chakra. Some patients had an almost immune response to foreign chakra and would try to inhibit it. Hyuuga's were most notorious for this. In this case though, they'd be useful for stopping the curse seal.  
Suddenly blood began to leak out of Inoichi's mouth and his body fell out of the chair. Shizune hurried after him and performed a diagnostic jutsu. She frowned. For some reason it showed that his leg was bleeding. _That's not possible._ She pulled up his pants leg, confirming it with her own eyes. His leg was fine. She opened his mouth, trying to find a wound. Nothing.

Inoichi gave a jerk, and one of the nurses came to help Shizune hold him down.

"What's wrong with him?" she asked.

"I'm not sure."

"Let's move him over out of the way," one of the others said, pointing out that Inoichi was in the middle of all of the commotion. Shizune nodded to him, and they all picked him up and put him back in the chair. Shizune ran a healing jutsu over him slowly, hoping that whatever was wrong would be healed. Healing something like this wasn't very effective, a medic-nin usually had to know what was being healed and focus on it for any true healing to take place, but small injuries could be healed in an unfocused way like this.

Anko's body began to jerk violently suddenly, and even threw one of the attendants off of her. Shizune hurried over to help hold them down. She didn't know what was going on with the three unconscious ninja in the room, but it looked like Anko wasn't the most complacent patient. Then, suddenly, her eyes snapped wide open.

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

Naruto knelt next to the stream that Jiraiya had decided to stop at. Behind him, Jiraiya had started a small fire in a dug out pit and was beginning to boil water. He muttered to himself while he felt around his pockets, taking out various scrolls and looking at them with a scrutinizing eye before shaking his head and putting them away.

Finally, he pulled one out and his face lit up with recognition. He busily cleared a space on the ground and unrolled the scroll, laying his hand on it and unsealing the contents. In a puff of smoke a few small jars appeared, and Jiraiya quickly opened them up, sniffing at the contents.

"Here it is," he said triumphantly. He turned towards Naruto and held one jar out to him. "Smell."

Naruto leaned in cautiously and took a sniff. He immediately regretted it. "Ugh, what is that?" he said, falling back and covering his nose, as if to block the smell.

Jiraiya laughed uproariously, slapping his leg. "Oh man, I guess I should have warned you to not stick your nose entirely into the jar. This stuff is still pungent!"

"So what is it then?" Naruto asked again.

Jiraiya waved his hand dismissively. "Eh, a little bit of this, a little bit of that. Mixtures I make from different trees and animal products. What's more important is that we get to using this right now."  
Naruto raised an eyebrow. "And how do we use it, ero-sennin?" He was losing his patience.

Jiraiya frowned at the nickname, but otherwise didn't react. "Where we're headed we need to hide that hair of yours," he said. "And your eyes," he added as an afterthought.

Naruto heaved a sigh. "I know how to do a henge, you know."

Jiraiya shook his head. "Not good enough. You really think most ninja will be fooled by a henge? Maybe if nobody is checking for it and wouldn't suspect anything to begin with... but when you're traveling it'd be a huge mistake to henge and expect to get away with it."

Jiraiya took the jars and opened each one, taking some of the contents out and dumping it into the pot of water. Naruto was surprised to see a lot of it seemed to be chopped up herbs, but every once in a while Jiraiya would put something entirely else into the water.

As the water boiled though it took on a deep dark color, first a murky brown, and it steadily grew deeper and deeper in color. Finally Jiraiya took one small jar and opened it up. He completely upended that one into the pot. It was a dark, viscous liquid, and it immediately turned the mixture in the pot to a black color.

"A dark coagulate. It adds to the color and makes this easier to work with. It'd still dye if we were to just dump what we had slowly over your head and let it sit, but with this stuff in there we can let it sit for a while and really let the color take hold."

"What are you talking about?"

"That hair of yours. It's far too bright, stands out far too much. And in Iwa, some of the people get a little edgy about that color hair."

"Why's that?" asked Naruto, watching as Jiraiya worked. The liquid had thickened now to almost something like mud, and Jiraiya had taken the pot off of the fire, stirring it slowly with a stick he'd found on the ground.

"My old student," the older man answered absently. "The fourth. Let's just say he taught them not to mess with Konoha. Now come here, let's get this crap on you, and then we'll worry about your eyes."

Naruto nodded and leaned forward for Jiraiya to begin putting the concoction on his hair.

"Close your eyes, kid." Jiraiya said. "This stuff'll burn if it gets in them."

Naruto closed his eyes, and tried to focus on anything else other than the smell of Jiraiya's black mixture. "Is this tuff going to smell like this constantly?" he asked.

"'Course not. It'd be too obvious if it did. Once it dries and we wash it off in the stream here you'll be good as new. It should stick for about a week or so before we have to apply it again."

Naruto's eyes snapped open. "We have to do this again?" Naruto asked incredulously.

Jiraiya tsked as he messed up and got some of the mixture on Naruto's forehead. "No," he said irritably. "We won't be out of Konoha nearly that long." He wiped at Naruto's forehead with a small handkerchief he pulled from his pocket. "And close your eyes and sit still." he snapped. "Meditate or something."

Naruto heaved a sigh but did as he was told. He closed his eyes and tried to focus on something simple. A leaf. A green leaf on a tree, hanging from the branch as it blew in the wind. He focused on just that image.

The leaf hung, alone on a branch.

Naruto focused on its thin edges, the tiny ribs of the leaf just barely visible through body.

The sunlight shined off of the waxy surface.

Naruto felt more than saw the rushing of the wind around the leaf, circling around it in the spiral of Konoha.

"**Ridiculous human." **

Naruto's eyes snapped open in shock at the voice. The leaf left his mind, and the wind with it. Naruto looked around. He was in his seal, where the fox stayed. The jail was in front of him. He didn't have to wander to find it at all. Twin lights stared down at him, full of malice.

He looked up at the fox, meeting his gaze evenly. "What do you want?"

The fox showed its teeth. Naruto wasn't sure if it was supposed to be a smile or not, but didn't care much either way. He rarely spoke to the fox, and that was fine with him. Sure, he was grateful for being able to tap into the fox's talent for controlling the fire element, and genjutsu-something he admitted he should give more practice to, but other than that he was more than happy with the fox sitting quiet and not bothering him.

**"I could hardly not take notice of the old human rubbing that repulsive garbage on your head. It reeks even down here."**

Naruto raised an eyebrow. This wasn't quite what he was expecting out of the fox. Was it just bored and starting a conversation? No...definitely not. The fox always had a reason to speak with him.

"I'll ask again, what do you want?" Naruto said. "I was trying to meditate 'til you popped in out of nowhere."

The fox narrowed his eyes. "**Your meditation will get you nowhere. Why you humans bother with something so trivial, trying to meditate to control your weak chakra. As if there was anything worth controlling. It is a waste of time, just like what that old man is doing to disguise you."**

"I seem to remember him explaining that a henge was useless, and if you're aware of everything else going on while I'm awake I'm sure you heard him explain that too."

The fox snorted derisively.** "Have I not told you of the benefits my chakra grants you? You can not figure this out on your own? Or you even thicker than you look?"**

Naruto glared back at the demon, taking his time to think. "Well I suppose you could only be referring to the way your chakra can enhance my eyes and my genjutsu based abilities. Meaning a henge would probably be stronger and my eyes could look different."

The fox remained silent, and Naruto took that as a tacit sign of agreement. "Well, if I remember correctly, you wanted me to either take part of the seal off or to promise to eliminate the Uchiha clan. And I'm not about to-"

**"I'm willing to make a deal, Naruto," **the fox cut in.

Naruto blinked. A deal? What was the fox playing at. "What's your game? What deal?"

**"Let's just call this insurance... My personal safety is reliant on your own. If I lend you a little chakra to keep you safe, it in turn helps me."**

The fox's attitude had changed fast. From malevolent to all of the sudden quite helpful. Naruto couldn't pin down exactly what the fox was planning, but he didn't see the downside yet. Perhaps it was best to talk to Jiraiya first and see what that old guy was doing.

"I'll think about it," he said, before closing his eyes and concentrating on waking up into the material world.

His eyes opened, and Jiraiya was still there, his hands buried in his blonde hair, practically lathering it with the black gunk.

He grunted as he saw Naruto open his eyes. "Seems you actually can mediate a little bit. Your chakra levels calmed for a moment there."

Naruto took a deep breath of the fresh air. Somehow it seemed refreshing after being in the seal, even though he knew he'd been breathing the same air the entire time.

Jiraiya took his hands away and admired his work. After a moment, he nodded to himself. "That'll about do it. Looks good, if I say so myself. We'll let it sit for a while before you wash it out. In the meantime, we need to do something about your eyes."

The blonde genin hesitated. He wasn't sure how safe the fox's suggestion was. Still, the fox hadn't done anything to harm him yet. He decided it anyone would have the experience to tell him, Jiraiya would.

"I have a solution to that, actually." Naruto announced.

Jiraiya looked up from his scrolls, which he'd been looking at, evidently to find some sort of way to disguise Naruto's eyes.

"The fox said.."

"The fox? You mean the Kyuubi?" Jiraiya cut in.

"Yes, Ero-sennin."

Jiraiya looked at him in silence for a moment. Naruto wasn't sure what to make of the look. Finally, the older man asked, "How often do you talk to it?"

"Not that much," Naruto shrugged. "This has been the first time in a little while."

"And this was just now while you meditated? What'd it say?"

"Just that I can use it's chakra to disguise myself."

The older man thought for a moment. He put his bags down and looked around thoughtfully.  
"Anything else I should know?" he asked.

Naruto shook his head.

"Alright, well let's give this a shot. You know how to control its chakra?"

Naruto nodded, and Jiraiya gave a brief smile. "Good. Now, let's see what you've got."

Naruto focused, closing his eyes and digging deep with his own chakra until he felt that thriving turmoil that was the fox's chakra. It called out to his own chakra. He reached and took hold, siphoning it into him and towards his eyes. Immediately the euphoria that came with using the chakra filled him. Sweet and ecstatic, and at the same time vile and sickly, like a thick hand had suddenly gripped his throat and squeezed his insides. Rage flowed through his veins. He wanted to vomit. Pain soared through his body. But a good pain. A welcome pain.

Naruto breathed in deep, and focused on his eyes. A dull thudding filled his head, as if he had woken with a terrible headache. He ignored it, forcing the chakra to reach his eyes, and soon the pleasure of the chakra erased the pain.

He opened his eyes and looked at Jiraiya, who gave a start and had it not been the fact that he was a ninja of such a caliber he might have moved away.

"Surely that killing intent isn't meant for me," he asked wryly.

**"Quit focusing your hatred at him, imbecile." **the fox's voice nearly roared through his head. It seemed to be much stronger when Naruto was using his chakra. As if his presence was more out in the open. Perhaps it was. Naruto was surprised to find he didn't care at the moment.

_"How?" _he asked back. He didn't mean Jiraiya any harm. He didn't mean to focus any killing intent.

**"Concentrate on not hurting them. Killing intent comes naturally to me, unlike you weaklings. Focus on appearing harmless. Relax"**

Naruto did as he was told and tried to relax, as if that were even possible with the rage of the nine tail's chakra pounding through him. Still, Jiraiya gave another brief smile after a moment and nodded. It seemed that he had done something.

"Better," he said. "For a moment there I thought you were going to lunge at me and attack," Jiraiya joked. Then, in a more stern voice, he added, "Make sure you don't let killing intent out like that again during the mission. That would be sure to get notice. Can you control it well?"

Naruto paused for a moment, trying to see if he could control the massive amount of malice oozing out of his eyes without consciously doing it. After a moment, he looked back at Jiraiya. "How's that?"

"How's what?"

"Nevermind. I was seeing if I had to concentrate on it to do it. I've got a handle on it though."

The older man nodded. "Good. Now, let's wash that crap out of your hair and see how it looks. Hopefully we don't have to do it a second time."

Inside the cage, as Naruto leaned forward to wash his hair in the stream, the Kyuubi smirked. Things were going well. He could feel the gradual pull of Naruto drawing on his chakra. Things were going well for the demon.

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

Kiba drew a deep breath and brought his hand up in a fist. The heavy door loomed in front of him. He'd faced this door so many times, and he never felt more comfortable about it. He brought his fist down, knocking it against the wood. Three knocks.

"Come in," a muffled voice called.

Kiba took a deep breath to steady his nerves, and turned the handle. He pushed the door open, and the hinges creaked as they gave under the weight of the door.

He stepped into the same study as before. It was dark, as always. Everyone seemed to prefer it that way, the walls were lined with bookcases full of books and scrolls, each of them covering some ninja art of Inuzuka technique. A shelf was dedicated to veterinary information for the dogs. On the big desk were a bunch of documents and writing tools that Kiba's mom used. Kiba didn't know what exactly was on the papers, except for reports from clan members and sort of inter-clan missions that his mother dished out to only Inuzuka clan members. In a way, each clan head gave missions to their own clan's members that weren't already assigned a mission by the Hokage.

Kiba only knew this because he was being groomed to be the next clan head. Well, that had been the plan, at least.

His mom was standing on the other side of the desk, her back to him. She seemed to be be holding a mug of tea or something. He wasn't sure. Kuromaru was curled up by her feet at the side of the desk. He opened his one uncovered eye to look at Kiba as he entered the room.

His mom took a sip from her tea, still not facing him, and said. "You know why you're here, Kiba?"  
Kiba nodded, and then, realizing she could see him, said, "Yes." He wished his voice didn't sound so weak right now.

"Good. Then I can cut the bullshit and get right to it then. Sit down."

Kiba did as he was told and took the chair opposite his mom and sat down at the desk. She turned around then and set the mug down before sitting across from him in her own chair. She looked him over for a few minute before speaking.

"You're filthy."

"I just got back from training."

"I see." His mother paused, taking a sip from her mug for a moment before speaking again. "The clan will have to pay a lot of money to the Aburame because of this argument of yours Kiba."

"What for?" Kiba asked. He understood him being punished, but the entire clan was a little odd.

"The Aburame brought up some old garbage about how our lands used to be theirs. They said that we never paid for it." She said and then muttered under her breath. "Even though we were never supposed to have to."

Kiba nodded slowly. "I'm sorry, mom…. I promise I'll make it better, and help pay out of my own mission wages," he said. After a moment, he asked quietly, "Can I go?"

"A little late for apologies, Kiba." Tsume snapped. "And no, you can't go. Did Hana forget to tell you the reason you're here after all?"

Kiba remained quiet. Hana hadn't said anything else other than him messing things up for the clan. He shook his head.

Tsume sighed, and tapped her fingernail against the side of the mug. "Figures that Hana would forget. She's never as focused as I need her to be on clan matters." She glanced over at Kuromaru before turning back to Kiba. "Thanks to Hyuuga Hiashi, I managed to defend your case in front of Hokage-sama."

"Really? That's awesome mom!" Kiba exclaimed.

Just as he did sow, Kuromaru stood up quickly and nearly growled, and Tsume narrowed her eyes and made a cutting motion in the air with her hand, silently telling him to zip it, and in the process knocking her tea over. "Goddamnit," she said in frustration as the tea spilled and poured out onto her desk. She hurried tried to save her papers from being ruined. "Sit down Kiba, and don't interrupt," she said to the side as she concentrated on the spill.

Kiba nodded, and quickly took his seat.

"As I was saying," Tsume began, "I argued your case. What this means," she continued before he could open his mouth, "Is that you will have the chance to redeem yourself. You will not immediately be reinstated as clan heir. Hiashi however advised me that no Hokage could directly interfere with clan matters like that. However, going along with it until your behavior and attitude changes would be a necessary gesture."

Kiba nodded. "I understand, mom."

"Good. Now it also just so happens that Hyuuga Hiashi will be the man to observe you and decide on when you are ready."

"Wait, what? But he's a hardass mom!" Kiba said, standing from his chair. There's no way he'd ever meet that guys crazy standards.

"Sit. Down. Kiba." Tsume hissed. "And you will do everything in your power to impress Hiashi, understand? That man has helped us more than enough, we owe him. That also means back off from the Hyuuga girl. Don't bother her unless she talks to you first, and you had better be so polite and proper to both Hiashi and his daughter that you start shitting rainbows, understand?"

Kiba nodded, too scared to actually say anything back. His mom could be terrifying when she got truly angry, and he realized he was probably testing the limits.

"Good. Now one other thing, we need to deal with the Aburame. They might be raking in our money hand over fist for the moment, but we're going to get them back for it."

"How's that?" Kiba asked.

Tsume leaned in conspiratorially. "We have a certain chemical that'll sow some chaos in their kikachu bugs for a while. It'll mean that the Inuzuka will be the primary trackers for as long as their bugs are out of control. We'll get the only missions while the Aburame get their bugs under control and healthy, and we'll make the money back in no time. Plus the Aburame will learn not to mess with the Inuzuka."

"Isn't that a little…I dunno, against Konoha as a whole?"

Tsume shook her head. "Kiba, you have so much to learn. Regardless of how much Konoha spouts brotherhood and everything, the only clan that really adhered to that wholeheartedly was the Senju, their close allies, and the Sarutobi. Every other clan has always looked after their own first."

Kiba didn't say anything. This was the first time he'd heard his mother say something so… well, he wasn't sure what to call it. This was out there though.

Tsume saw the uncertainty in Kiba's eyes and reached out across the desk, grabbing his hand. "Kiba," she said, looking him square in the eyes. "Remember, every clan came to Konoha for safety, but only so much as it benefitted the clan. Same with the Inuzuka. Clan comes first. Village second. Besides, we're not starting an outright war here, just a little prank."

Kiba nodded, still unsure though. "Okay mom. I understand." He really didn't though. He'd do what he was told however.

Tsume nodded. "Good. Come with me then, I'll give you the chemical, which you're going to slip onto the Aburame brat next time you see him."

Kiba stood and followed his mother out of the room and down the hallway as she explained the plan.

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

Hinata nodded to the two guards who greeted her outside of the Hyuuga clan grounds. They turned and opened the doors for her. Each of the heavy oak doors were engraved with a bursting sun; its rays shining over the carved leaves of a lone tree on a hill. The image was common in the Hyuuga clan; it symbolized the Hyuuga watching over Konoha, nurturing it with its ever present, always seeing-eye and protection.

The doors parted and Hinata stepped into the welcome courtyard of the Hyuuga grounds. A stone path led up to the house, lined with hedges and cherry blossom trees. Beyond the trees and hedges was finely cared for grass and a small pond with water flower over some rocks in a small waterfall.  
This was where Hiashi would usually meet anyone who was coming to visit. This way he could decide whether he wished to take them further into the grounds—and let them see anything that might be sensitive or secret to the clan—or deal with the business out in the open. It also allowed Hiashi a chance to show off his wealth. Greeting newcomers in front of the large grounds at the gate, with the well-tended plants showed off the Hyuuga wealth, and gave Hiashi a chance to show off even more, and perhaps intimidate a newcomer by deciding which way to lead the newcomer through the house. Did he lead them by the dojos to show off the Hyuuga prowess? Or did he take them through the halls with the collections of artwork, expensive decorations and fine china?

Hinata eschewed both options and went straight down the path into the main building. A second guarded double door was at the end, with two stained glass panels in the center, sharing the image of a rising sun so that when the doors open, the sun split in two. While seemingly weak, the door was actually another protective measure. The glass was infused with chakra daily by the guards, which not only made the sun shine brightly, but it also strengthened the doors overall strength and resistance to jutsu. It also served as a locking mechanism. Only a Hyuuga could activate the lock.

When Hinata approached, the two guards on either side nodded to her as a silent hello, and each turned to the door closest to them. Hinata watched as they placed their hands on specific spots on the door and channeled their chakra carefully, feeding the door chakra and unlocking the door simultaneously.

She stepped through the doorway and found herself in the main antechamber of the Hyuuga main house. It was well lit, with plenty of windows allowing the sunlight to stream in. The antechamber was quite stoic, far less opulent appearing than most of the outside of the house. For all of his displays, Hiashi was quite spartan, and he preferred to have the area he resided in kept very simple. There were some paintings, and a few tables with vases which were holding flowers from the Yamanaka shop that were replaced daily.

There were a few photographs. Some of them were of the family with Hinata and her parents, and then some were from later with Hiashi, Hanabi and Hinata. After mother had passed away. There were surprisingly few photographs of Hinata's mother. Hiashi didn't like to be reminded of the past too much.

The hardwood floors were all kept immaculately clean and well kept. Any scratches were usually immediately buffed out, and the walls were all white and simple, and it made the contrast of the colors from the Yamanaka flowers all that much more apparent.

Hinata walked through this room quickly, only pausing briefly to take note of the family photos. She always said hello to her mother here rather than the courtyard where she was headed. It was easier when she could look at her mother's image.

The courtyard was actually a tiny garden. Private, and meant only for the main house members. It was situated in the middle of the main household building, which was shaped in a large square all surrounding this spot. On each side of the garden were covered wood walkways. Almost like a porch; raised slightly off of the ground with a railing and wooden beams supporting a roof overhang. In the center of each walkway, at the midpoint between two ends of the building, were steps heading down into the garden. Down below, Hiashi was standing alone near a bench, watching a hummingbird hover near one of the plants.

He didn't turn as Hinata descended down towards him. "I've been waiting for you, Hinata."

Hinata nodded, knowing that her father could see her just fine without turning around. "I came as soon as I received your summons, Father."

"Good. Do you know why you're here?"

Hinata shook her head no.

Her father turned around then and motioned to her to sit at the bench, which she did. He didn't sit next to her, but instead stood in front of her, looking down at her. Sitting next to her would have been too comfortable. Too family like.

"Hinata," Hiashi began, his eyes focused on the hummingbird. "I have been charged by the council and the clan heads to observe Inuzuka Kiba's behavior. This is a position I put much work into achieving."

His daughter didn't say anything, and just merely waited for him to continue. Often, her father would speak and have long pauses before continuing again. If you were to speak at any time during this, even during the pause, Hiashi often took it as a rude interruption. And so Hinata waited.

"This is an opportunity for the Hyuuga clan. We have always had rivals. First there was the Senju. And the Uchiha. And even after the Uchiha fell and the Senju faded away, our clan failed to come into a clear dominance over the others due to the other clans forming alliances." He said the last bit with a slight tightening in his voice, like the words themselves tasted bitter.

"The Aburame and Inuzuka clans used to be one of those alliances. But as time passed, that relationship became more and more precarious."

Hiashi fell silent for a moment, taking his tie to watch as another hummingbird flew into the garden and seemed to chase the other. They flew around each other in a small fight for dominance. It was over in only a moment, and then they both went to separate flowers, seemingly ignoring one another.

"Now with Inuzuka Kiba's actions they are nearly at each other's throats," Hiashi continued. "Should either house be weakened, the Hyuuga will benefit. And that is why I am employing your services, Hinata." Hiashi looked at his daughter then, turning away from the birds. The look was so direct Hinata had difficulty keeping her eyes on him. She wanted to look away.

"You will observe Inuzuka Kiba while I am unable to, and report back to me anything I should be aware of."

"Yes, Father." Inwardly, Hinata sighed with relief. She had thought it would be worse than that. She didn't want to meddle with her friends.

"And you will do your best to keep the Aburame boy and the Inuzuka boy fighting. Young men will easily get in arguments and fights over a woman. Use that to your advantage. I expect results, Hinata."

Hinata's heart plummeted. 

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

The Aburame was off of the beaten path in Konoha. It was on the outskirts, between the Nara and the Inuzuka lands. It actually served Konoha best for the Aburame and Inuzuka to be so far out. As the hidden villages foremost tracking and detection clans, they provided a first line defense and an early warning system for any potential attack on Konoha. Some might think that the Hyuuga, with their eyes that can see so far and through so much, would be well suited for the outskirts as well, but they had settled in Konoha before the Aburame and Inuzuka, and the village had grown around them and the other primary clans at the time.

Shino had been heading to see Kurenai in the hospital when a Kikachu bug found him. His father had asked him to come home. His father rarely summoned him, so Shino took one glance down in the direction of the hospital and then immediately turned and made the detour. Hopefully it would be short. The extra time would probably allow Kurenai-sensei to rest anyway.__

Shino walked up to the front door of his home and looked up through the doorway as he walked through. Two kikachu bugs, barely noticeable, were crawling on the top molding of the doorway. The Aburame version of sentries. Barely noticeable, and able to easily follow any intruder and warn clan members. One of the bugs crawled inside a small hole in the molding for a moment. It was a hole leading to the hive. Like an Aburame's body, Kikachu bugs also lived in the very walls themselves of the Aburame household. They would come out and feed off of their host's chakra when needed, but in the household themselves they could connect with the larger hive. It allowed the sharing of any information between Aburame members.

Shino's bugs could easily leave his body when he entered the household and go share information with the outside world with other bugs, who would then enter their Aburame hosts and share their information with the Aburame clan member. In a way, it allowed the Aburame clan to have almost a universal memory bank. Able to upload and download information like a computer.

The bug on the molding exited the hole after a moment and resumed its post on the wood. Shino nodded to himself. They had probably warned the hive of his arrival. His father had probably already been told. Shino continued walking the way he had been going. The bugs would inform father on where he was, and so it was illogical for him to try and search out his father. He turned down from the main hallway into one of the branching halls. It led to the bedrooms. Once he made the turn, the house was much darker. The light sometimes distraught the pupating Kikachu bugs, so the Aburame clan holdings were generally kept quite dark. They didn't really need the light anyway. The bugs and clan members could find their way around quite easily in their own homes, even if it were pitch black.

As he walked, bugs crawled out of him and took off to retreat into the walls. They would reenter him when he left the household, or if they had extremely important information from him.

He was surprised, then, when some of the bugs immediately came racing back, buzzing loudly. It was as close to alarm as these bugs could get. Immediately he understood, rather than heard or perceived one word.

"War."

He stopped in his tracks. Did the bugs mean an intruder? No…there would be much more commotion from the bugs in the house if that was the case. Only his bugs were excited, so logically this was older knowledge for the hive. So it could not be something so urgent. Same as if a fight had just broken out.

"So you know," his father said from behind him. He had come silently. Shino hadn't even heard him.

"What does this mean?" Shino asked. "War with whom?"

"That should be obvious."

The silence stretched on as Shino thought about it. After the attack from the Sand and Sound, Konoha definitely couldn't risk and outright war with a village. They needed to bolster their defenses first before they could even consider a counter-attack with the Sound. However, the village had been relatively stable recently. Tsunade had taken the mantle of Hokage. The damage to the village was rebuilt, and many crucial missions were being fulfilled. Had Konoha already recovered?

Then again, an outright attack on Sound would leave the village stretched thin. And an outright attack on Sound would make Konoha's weakness very apparent to other villages, who might take advantage of that.

"It will not be an outright war," Shino guessed.

"That would be illogical." His father agreed.

"Are we attacking the Sound?"

His father nodded. "Indeed. In a very secret meeting Hokage-sama has decided that now is the time to begin preparing for a strong counter-attack. Orochimaru's actions are unforgiveable, and if we do not punish him for attacking Konoha, we will weak.

"And we will not appear weak stretching ourselves thin as it is?" Shino asked.

"That is why it shall not be an outright war. However, certain strike teams will be assembled to find and destroy Orochimaru's bases. Many Aburame have been selected for this job, as our abilities lend more to stealth and infiltration than the Inuzuka tracking squads."

Shino nodded. "And I assume that I will be on one of these teams?"

"Yes. I requested you personally to come with me. We will be leaving with our team at sunset tomorrow. Prepare your things and take the time to replenish your bugs. You will need to be at full strength."

Shino nodded, and turned to leave. It seemed he had a mission too. He should at least inform Hinata so someone would be able to tell Kurenai-sensei.

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"What's so great about this Sharingan kid anyway?" Jirobu grumbled loudly.

"He has a Sharingan, you dipshit," Tayuya answered.

Haku watched the Sound Four as they jumped from tree to tree in front of her. They were travelling to Konoha. She had never been on a team before other than with Zabuza-sama and his associates. She wasn't sure she enjoyed it.

The Sound Four were crass and violent individuals, and they lacked the finesse that Zabuza-sama had prized so highly, or that Orochimaru-sama was also known for. The Sound Four were strong, but they honestly lacked guidance. That was something Haku was somehow supposed to give the team in Kimimaro's place. She wasn't sure she was up for the job.

"You want something, girly?" Tayuya asked. She was looking over her shoulder and glaring at Haku. Apparently Haku had been staring. There was no love lost between the two, and Tayuya took every chance to make that clear.

Sakon cackled, and suddenly Haku felt Ukon hanging off of her shoulder.

"Get out of your cursed seal state, Sakon, Ukon." She said with an authority she didn't actually feel.

He licked her face, and she held back a shudder. Kimimaro had given her advice on how to deal with this technique. She gathered her chakra and steadily lowered her own body temperature. It was like using her jutsu pn herself, and because of her bloodline, it didn't do anything to her. His cells couldn't take it though.

Ukon jumped out of her body and immediately merged with Sakon. "Dumb cold bitch, she said."

Kidomaru chuckled to the side. "'Spose you can't handle her Sakon. Getting beaten by a little girl."

"Fuck you,"

Tayuya spoke up again. "Why did Orochimaru even put you in charge anyway? You don't even have a curse seal!"

In seconds, Haku had put an ice wall up in front of Tayuya, who didn't see it because she was still running while looking over her shoulder back at Haku. She blinked in surprise as Haku disappeared into the ground where she had made a tiny sheet of ice, only to reappear in the mirror and grab Tayuya by the throat. Before Tayuya could even say anything else, Haku shoved a senbon through the neck like she had with Zabuza so long ago. Tayuya's body went limp.

"I don't have a cursed seal because I don't need one to defeat you," Haku said calmly. Much calmer than she felt. Orochimaru-sama put me in charge and Kimimaro-kun also has faith in me. Do not make me prove myself again."

Haku dropped Tayuya down, and she crumpled to the ground uselessly. Haku turned around as Jirobu picked the girl up and removed the senbon.

"I'll kill you, you fucking bitch!" Tayuya screamed. Jirobu held her back though.

"Now, we must continue to Konoha. We must retrieve Sasuke-kun for Orochimaru-sama."

'_And with the Sharingan, Orochimaru-sama has said he could learn the jutsu to heal Kimimaro-kun. I hope it is in time.'_

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**End of CHAPTER 24**

Hurray! So that's chapter 24. Next chapter will have some Kurenai and Anko and Sasuke etc. Let me know how I did with this one. Also, if I did something way too egregious, I'd like to say I'm also interested in solutions. Or failing that, just point them out to me so I can fix them in the near future. (Provided it doesn't mess with the plot too much. An Issue I have regarding revising the older chapters pre-hiatus) 


	25. A Betrayal of Trust

Disclaimer– "The act of writing is an act of optimism. You would not take the trouble to do it if you felt it didn't matter. – Edward Albee.

The Maelstrom of Konoha**-1.25**

**The Tale of a Young Boy's Ascent into the Legends**

_Well, here's another chapter. I had some fun writing this one even though it's not too 'actiony'. I hope you all enjoy it too and see roughly where I'm taking things. Also, Happy Super Bowl! I'm off to watch it riiiight NOW. – C._

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The glare of the sun through the blinds in the window woke Kurenai. She rolled over, trying to hide from the glare, only to find that hospital rooms were unnecessarily bright. And the stark white of the room did nothing to dim the glare of the sun.

She shut her eyes closed, willing herself to sleep, but even then she could hear the faint hum of the fan in the corner and the birds chirping outside. The noises weren't loud, but they were enough to keep her awake. Kurenai sighed and gave up the fight, resigning herself to the fact that she was wide awake now.

She tried to sit up, and immediately regretted it. Her back protested the movement with a dull throbbing pain. Then she remembered. The bandits. Her team, and then Itachi and Kisame. She tried to reach around to feel her back where Kisame had hurt her, but her body was too stiff. She couldn't move that far.

A knock at the door interrupted her efforts, and she brought the sheets up to cover herself just before the nurse walked in. As she saw Kurenai, her eyes widened and she shut the door behind her.

"Oh, I didn't actually expect to find you awake, Yuuhi-san."

Kurenai gave a faint smile in return, and watched as the nurse walked in and took her wrist. She ran through a standard check up. When the nurse finally went to look at Kurenai's back, peeling the bandages away momentarily, Kurenai couldn't help but ask.

"How bad is it?"

The nurse met her eyes, and Kurenai could see the slight look of sympathy before she looked back at Kurenai's injury.

"Well, thanks to Tsunade-sama, we managed to heal it better than we would normally have been able too. However, Tsunade-sama couldn't stay for the entire healing because Mitarashi-san was also in a critical state. We did the best we could with what we had, but there will still be some scarring. It isn't nearly as bad as it would be normally, but it is there. I'm sorry."

Kurenai nodded to herself. She had expected as much. While medical ninjutsu was capable of working wonders; keeping men and women alive long past the point that they should have died from an injury, it wasn't a miracle worker. Even she understood that the larger and more serious the injury, the less that medical ninjutsu could completely heal it.

"How long have I been out?" she asked.

The nurse fussed about while she spoke. "A few days. You were a long way off from Konoha when Jiraiya-sama's team recovered you and brought you back. If it weren't for him, you and your team would likely be dead."

Kurenai's hands clenched into fists. She was embarrassed for herself. She had allowed herself to be injured so badly and to leave her own genin team to protect her. She was supposed to protect them, not the other way around.

"Was anyone else hurt?"

The nurse nodded. "Mitarashi-san, as I mentioned. Everyone else made it back to Konoha in good health."

"How did Anko get hurt?"

"I don't have all of the details on Mitarashi-san's case, but the rumor in the hospital is that Uchiha Itachi had something to do with it."

"It's a miracle enough that we got out alive. Itachi alone is enough. With Hoshigake Kisame in the mix it was a nightmare."

"It's thanks to Jiraiya-sama and the team he selected that you all made it, I think." The nurse commented. "Do you feel much pain?" she asked. The question threw Kurenai off guard.

"What? No, I'm okay, just a little stiff. The pain isn't that bad." She answered. The nurse pursed her lips and muttered about prescribing some more painkillers. "By the way, who else was on Jiraiy-sama's team? I don't remember everything that clearly."

"Well," the nurse said, pausing for a moment. She tapped her finger on the clipboard that normally hung at the foot of Kurenai's bed. I was told that it was Jiraiya-sama, Kakashi-san, Gai-san, and Mitarashi-san."

Kurenai's eyes widened. Jiraiya had picked a formidable team. Each of them were some of the strongest jounin in Konoha. Clearly, Jiraiya had known exactly who he was going up against whne trying to find her team.

"I see. Thank you. I'll have to be sure to thank them each when I check out."

"Well, that won't be lone, Yuuhi-san," the nurse said. "You seem well enough, I don't see any reason that you won't be allowed to leave in the next day or so, or perhaps even today. You will just have to take things very easy. No strenuous training."

Kurenai nodded and thanked the nurse. She allowed her to finish her check up without distracting her again. Kurenai wasn't sure how she felt about the scars that she'd have, but she knew that was a tiny issue compared to actually having her life. She definitely owed Jiraiya. As the nurse opened the door to leave, she turned and looked back at Kurenai.

"Yuuhi-san, you do have visitors. Do you feel well enough to see them or should I send them away?"

"I'd love to see them," Kurenai answered. The nurse smiled and shut the door, promising to give Kurenai a few moments to compose herself. Kurenai quickly went about combing through her hair with her hands, trying to make sure she didn't look haggard, and then smoothed her sheets. She stopped though and smiled to herself. Here she was, in a hospital bed, trying to make herself look presentable. Might as well try to move a mountain.

There was a knock at the door, and Kurenai looked up to see the nurse poking her head in. When she saw that Kurenai was ready, the door opened fully to reveal Shino and Hinata.

Kurenai couldn't hold back the smile as the two genin walked into the room and the nurse shut the door behind them. She was about to greet them when she realized they were missing someone.

"Where's Naruto," she asked.

Shino answered first, as Hinata managed to look a little hurt. Kurenai cursed her own stupidity. She hadn't even said hello to Shino or Hinata yet and already she was asking about her blonde haired student.

"He went on a mission, Kurenai-sensei."

"Without his team?" Kurenai asked. This was interesting. "Under whose authority?"

Shino for once managed to look slightly uncomfortable. "He went with Jiraiya-sama, Kurenai-sensei. For some reason the sannin wanted Naruto specifically for a mission and told him personally to come with him."

Kurenai was at a loss for words for a moment. "I see…well, that is certainly interesting. Did Jiraiya-sama say how long the mission would be?"

"Not very long. He wasn't too specific."

"Ano-, Kurenai-sensei." Hinata interrupted, and pulled out a small bouquet of flowers. "These are for you. Please get better soon."

Kurenai flashed a wide smile at the Hyuuga girl, who gave a small, slightly shy smile in return. Despite the girl's recent efforts to grow a backbone, her old self still shined through more often than not.

"Thank you, Hinata." Kurenai turned and put the flowers on the nightstand beside her bed.

Just then there was another knock on the door, and Shino went over to open it. He peeked his head out and then wordlessly took a step back to open the door fully.

Tsunade strode in like she owned the place. Well, perhaps she did. Her eyes glanced around imperiously, taking the room and everyone in it into account.

She strode over to the foot of the bed and picked up Kurenai's clipboard, looking over it silently. She flipped the paper back to look at the nurse's notes from before, and then glanced up at Kurenai. She put the clipboard back with a small smile.

"Well, it seems you've come along nicely, Kurenai." She said. "Well enough to check out, if you wish, in my professional opinion.

Kurenai gave a small smile in return.

Tsunade glanced at Shino and Hinata. "And your team is here too. That is good to see."

"About that, Hokage-sama," Kurenai said. Tsunade turned back towards her and raised an eyebrow. "Shino has told me that Naruto-kun has gone out on a mission again already. With Jiraiya-sama. Why is that?"

Tsunade folded her arms and looked out the window. "Well, the old goat came to me with it as a special request. Jiraiya has gone on a routine mission of his. Intelligence gathering. Needless to say, Jiraiya has taken an interest in the boy. Do you have any issues with this?"

Kurenai paused for a moment. In a way, she did feel slightly hurt that Naruto wasn't here with the rest of the team. But then again it wasn't often that a sannin took an interest in you. And Naruto was ambitious. She knew that from day one. He was smarter than most people gave him credit for and had the drive and skill to use that knowledge.

As she was musing in her thoughts, Shino spoke up. "I told him to go."

Kurenai looked up at the Aburame. "What?" she asked, not understanding.

"When Jiraiya told him to go on the mission, I was there with them. I told Naruto to go."

Tsunade nodded. "Good that you did. Jiraiya would've taken him anyway regardless of Naruto's answer. Kurenai, if you have an issue with this we can talk of it later in my office. You will also have to speak with Jiraiya. I will admit that I gave Jiraiya the go ahead on this. For now however, I suggest you get out of this stuffy hospital and enjoy some fresh air. And maybe something other than hospital food.

Kurenai nodded, and Hinata gave a small smile. Her team left to give Kurenai some privacy as she dressed back into her normal attire with Tsunade's help.

"Now that they are gone, I'd like to tell you Kurenai," Tsunade said as she helped steady Kurenai. "Jiraiya will probably ask to take Naruto as his apprentice. I hope I don't have to explain to you the advantages this offers Naruto."

Kurenai nodded. "I understand, Tsunade-sama. I can't help but feel like my student is being stolen from me, though."

"Your student, or something more," Tsunade asked from behind her.

Kurenai didn't say anything. She wasn't sure of the answer herself. She didn't see Naruto in that fashion, not really. He was too young, too immature. If he were several years older then perhaps. But for now even if Naruto meant well and Anko was fully willing to tease Naruto until he was old enough, Kurenai didn't think she had it in her. It felt too much like preying on Naruto. If Kurenai were honest with the situation, she could acknowledge that Hinata was probably a much better match for Naruto if she ever grew a backbone.

Tsunade thankfully didn't press Kurenai for an answer, and instead continued with her own advice. "Apprenticing under Jiraiya would be one of the most beneficial moves for Naruto. Jiraiya has experience with training students like Naruto, and while I can't reveal all of the reasons behind this, Jiraiya actually has the full legal right to take Naruto under his wing."

That last bit surprised Kurenai. Who could take a student from their teacher like that? "As a sannin?" she asked.

"I can't say more, Kurenai. I am sorry. However, I honestly suggest that you speak with Jiraiya about this and voice any concerns you might have. Feel free to speak with me about it. I have already given you my advice on the matter however."

By then Kurenai was finished dressing, and Tsunade turned Kurenai around to face her, fussing with her hair like a mother would. After a moment she seemed satisfied and turned towards the door. "Now I suggest you and your students take the day easy. I'll keep in touch."

Tsunade strode out of the room much as she had entered it. She had an air of command about her that didn't have any room for nonsense. It was a wonder that Jiraiya and Naruto always somehow managed to press the woman's envelope.

Kurenai got up and followed after her, but by the time she had left, Tsunade was already striding down the hall, and Shizune was hurrying to catch up with her, speaking urgently about something. Probably another patient. Shino and Hinata were sitting quietly on a bench outside her door in the hallway.

The two genin stood as she left her room, and she looked down at them. Oddly enough, she was at a loss for what to do. She knew couldn't exercise too much with her injury, the nurse had said to take things easy. She could have Shino and Hinata spar, but she dismissed that and instead began to wonder what the other teams were doing. She had heard that they were getting together often to train together. Perhaps her own team could benefit.

With that thought, she headed off towards Team Asuma's training grounds. As she walked down the hall, an angry Uchiha Sasuke roughly shoved past Shino. She turned around and was about to rebuke him for being so rude, but decided that the last thing she wanted to deal with was an angry brat that would just ruin her first day out of the hospital. Shino gave her a look saying it was okay.

The three of them continued towards the training grounds in silence, and Kurenai just enjoyed the sun and the sounds of the village at work. The hustle and bustle was a welcome change from the sterile, silent hospital room.

When they reached the training grounds, Asuma was the first to notice them. He stood up quickly, ignoring the shogi board that was between him and Shikamaru, and hurried over.

"Kurenai!" he said with a huge smile. "You're out of the hospital I see!"

He quickly walked up and pulled her into a tight hug. A little too tight, and Kurenai had to pat him on the back and gently push him away. "Asuma, sorry but my back is still a little sore. Could you please?"

"Oh, yeah, sorry Kurenai. I just got caught up in the moment. I'm glad to see you're okay."

She nodded in understanding, and just then Gai leapt in between them with a giant kick. "Kurenai-san! How joyous a reunion! You're already out of the hospital! How brightly your flames of youth burn!"

She smiled at his antics, and gave him a hug, which he gently returned, perhaps having heard what she said to Asuma.

"How are you, Kurenai-san?" He asked, in a more serious voice than most were used to hearing from Gai.

"I'm feeling great, Gai. My back is still a little sore, and I don't have full mobility, but I'm well enough. I'm just happy to be able to be here," she said with a smile.

Gai flashed a huge grin at her and gave her a thumbs up. "Yosh, that is most youthful of you, Kurenai-san! Now, let us get your students in a healthy spar to start their training today!" He began to turn away.

"In a moment, Gai," she said, grabbing his arm. He paused and turned back to her. "I just wanted to say thank you, for coming for me and my team. I don't know what would have happened if you had not made it in time.

"It was not just me, Kurenai-san," Gai said. "Kakashi, Jiraiya, and Anko all made a great effort to make sure you returned home safely."

"I understand, and I'll thank them as well when I have the chance."

Gai nodded, and then turned away to get the spars set up between the genin.

"He's something else, isn't he?" Asuma asked, staying back with her as they watched Gai.

"Yes, he is. I'm glad we have him on our side."

They stayed like that for much of the day. Kurenai watched her students sparring with the various members of the other team, and each of the jounin would help the genin occasionally. Kurenai was surprised over how quickly they were all learning. When these students had first left the academy, they could barely fight. Now however, they were all showing definite promise.

Sakura and Tenten were both surprisingly good with the sword. Kurenai watched them spar with both Gekko and Yugao, his not so secret girlfriend. They managed to get a few hits on each of them. Granted, it took them working in tandem, but still, to be able to land a hit at all was impressive.

Ino, Shikamaru and Choji had all gotten very good in their formation. In team spars against team Gai they had managed to pull off several victories, despite the fact that they severely lacked speed like Lee or range like Tenten. One on one, none of them could match Neji, Lee, or Kiba in taijutsu, but Shikamaru each time managed to come up with a sound strategy to incapacitate them in some way and find a weakness to exploit.

This made her turn towards her own genin thoughtfully, and she truly had to wonder if she had made much progress with them. What had she truly taught them? It seemed that in the volatility of her own team changing members, she had never truly focused on the team and made huge improvements in their skills and team work.

The difference was very noticeable in front of the other teams. In the spars, they lost relatively quickly. Even when matched up against Kiba, the difference was astounding. Kiba had come far under Gai's tutelage.

By the end of the training, Kurenai was determined to change that. She would make sure her students were better prepared for next time. She left the training grounds with Shino and Kurenai in tow.

They hadn't got far however, when Kiba ran up to them, motioned with his hands for them to wait for him. "Hang on! Guys, Kurenai-sensei!"

Kurenai stopped and turned around, waiting for Kiba to catch up. Her wayward student paused for a moment to catch his breath. "Yes?" she asked.

He looked nervous. "Ah, well, look I just wanted to apologize again. I know I wasn't the best student."

"Thank you Kiba. I believe that I speak for all of us when I say we have forgiven you. However it will take time to return to normalcy between us." Shino and Hinata both nodded along with her words.

"I know, Kurenai-sensei. Look, I was thinking maybe we could all get something to eat? My treat? I want to try and make any amends I can."

Kurenai thought about refusing, but then realized that to do so would be quite petty on her part as the adult in this situation. Besides, clearly Kiba was making an effort. So she put a smile on and nodded.

"Of course Kiba. That is, if Shino and Hinata feel like it as well?" She glanced at both of her genin.

"I am agreeable," Shino responded.

Hinata nodded along with him. "I'd like that very much."

"Well it's settled then. Lead on, Kiba."

Kiba nodded and started to walk off, with Kurenai and her team in tow. It wasn't very long before they all found themselves at a very familiar ramen stand. Ichariaku Ramen. Kurenai couldn't help but be reminded of Naruto's absence as she sat down at the booth and the older man took their orders. He gave Kurenai a flirty, but playful, wink and then quickly went about cooking. The four of them, the original team 8, sat in relative silence as they waited.

Kiba drummed his fingers on the table nervously, and then coughed to clear his throat. "So….what've you guys been up to lately?" he asked lamely.

Surprisingly, Shino was the one who spoke first. "We just returned from our mission, as I'm sure you heard earlier."

Kiba waited, and when Shino didn't go on in detail, he gave a frustrated grimace and had to prod for more. "What was the mission about?" The old man dished them all their food, and Kiba went about sliding the bowls down the counter to each one of them as he asked. Kurenai's came first.

"We had to find and rescue a mayor's daughter who was kidnapped and ransomed by some bandits a few days from here." Kurenai elaborated. "We all managed to deal with the bandits quite well, especially considering they had some ninja with them. Unfortunately we ran into complications on our way out."

"Is that how you got hurt?" Kiba asked. He took another bowl from the old man and look at it for a moment. "Hang on, who got this ramen, Hinata, or Shino?" He waved his hand over the ramen bowl as he pointed.

Shino nodded to himself and Kiba gave a triumphant smile. "Thought so. Here you go. Enjoy."

After the small interruption Kurenai continued. "Yes, that is in fact how I got hurt. We ran into two S class missing nin, who attacked us. Had it not been for Jiraiya and several jounin that he personally selected, we wouldn't have made it back to Konoha."

They continued their meal as they all shared details of what they had been doing ever since Kiba had left the team. It was surprisingly comfortable, and Kurenai left quite happy. She hadn't expected it to be a pleasant experience. She left thinking she'd have to reevaluate her opinion of Kiba.

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Anko sat in her hospital bed, poking at her hospital mush. She hated the food here. She hated how bright it was. She eyed the tray of food lying on her lap. It was divided into little portions. The tray had sections dug out into it for food to rest in. In one pocket there was some fruit, an orange, an apple, and some grapes. They'd given her some toast with some butter to spread on it in another pocket. In another sat a cup of tea, and then finally in the center of the tray sat a bowl of oatmeal. Mush.

She sighed and tipped the tray over onto the floor, ignoring the loud crash of the tray and the clatter of the utensils. The apple bounced and then settled into a slow roll towards the door, where it stopped with a small thump.

Orochimaru. She remembered it all. How she could have possibly forgotten so much about her past struck her as even more horrible than what had actually happened to her. She had forgotten her own parents and replaced them with Orochimaru. He had raised her, that sick man, pretending to have never had any hand in Anko's orphaning.

She bowed her head as she felt tears begin to well up in her own eyes. She had loved her parents, and that bastard snake had taken them from her.

And yet she couldn't find the hate inside her for the snake that she should have had. Orochimaru had raised her, and despite everything, he had taught her much. To this day, she remained Orochimaru's only known apprentice and successor. While she often wasn't spoken of much because of Orochimaru's infamy, she was one of the strongest jounin in Konoha.

She owed a lot to Orochimaru-sama, and she wouldn't forget that. And perhaps that was what made his betrayal all the more painful. She couldn't entirely dismiss him from her mind. There had been times when he truly had been like a father to her. And she didn't know what was true and what had been pretend.

The door slammed open. Anko jumped with a start, and was woken from her own thoughts as she looked up to see Uchiha Sasuke in the doorway. He looked her over and gave a self-satisfied smirk.

"So you're awake," he said.

"Why are you here, and what do you want?" Anko asked. She wasn't in the mood for this dumb brat.

"They say you were trained by Orochimaru."

Anko hid a wince at the name. Why did that always sound like an accusation?

"So what if I was?"

"How long did you learn under him?"

Anko didn't like the sudden interview she was undergoing. What right did this brat have to barge into her damn room without knocking and just start demanding answers from her. She narrowed her eyes. "What makes you think I should answer anything? You think you can come in here and just give me an inquisition?"

Sasuke grimaced. "No. Sorry," he said gruffly. "I'm just curious."

He stayed silent, staring at Anko. She waited for more, but when it seemed he wasn't going to budge either way, she weighed her options. She was _definitely_ not up to the challenge of forcing him out of the room. Sitting up was difficult enough. Where were the nurses? She could just tell the kid to fuck off; he might listen to that. She glanced up at the kid and saw he still hadn't moved. She sighed in resignation.

"Fine. Have it your way. I was practically raised by Orochimaru."

"Are you strong?"

"Strong enough to whip your ass like your momma, kid." She retorted. Then she remembered he was the Uchiha as he glared at her. "Ah, sorry, did I hurt your little feelings? Well, good luck getting an apology out of me after you barge in here on me like an ass."

Sasuke looked like he was about to yell at her, and Anko could have sworn his eyes flashed red for a moment, but thought better of it. He took a breath. "Teach me."

"What?"

"You heard me, teach me, please."

"Oh, so you do have some manners, eh?" Anko said teasingly. "Well, let me think about it." She put her finger up to her chin, tapping it in mock thoughtfulness. "No."

"What? Is it because of that dumb Chidori thing? Will nobody ever cut me a break after that?"

Anko snorted. "I don't give two shits about that Chidori thing. You do what you have to do to win. But I don't like you."

Sasuke glared, and this time his eyes did turn red. His Sharingan spinning with hatred. "You know they call you the snake bitch around town. A walking traitor, they say. I bet Orochimaru just threw you out when he realized you were trash—"

That was it. Anko did not have to deal with this fucking kid talking to her like this. She summoned what little strength she had at the moment, which wasn't much, and lunge out of the bed, summoning the snakes from her arm at the same time, flinging them at Sasuke.

The kid didn't have time to react. Sharingan or no, Anko had taken on plenty of Uchiha's in her lifetime. Orochimaru had made sure she was capable of that. The snakes pinned the kid up against the wall as Anko hit him hard in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. She got right in his face.

"A little brat like you shouldn't even talk about things he doesn't understand. Wanting to learn Orochimaru's techniques, and then insulting the one person who could actually teach them to you. You're a pathetic disgrace to ninja everywhere," she snarled. "You couldn't handle my training, much less be able to learn any of Orochimaru's techniques."

She mentally had one of the snakes fling Sasuke across the room, and she bent to grab the plastic knife from the ground. "I wonder if one of these can rip through the skin?" she asked aloud as she picked it up. She had one of her snakes snap at the kid as he stood up. Even as she moved, in her head another voice answered _"yes, rip into him, Anko-chan."_

Sasuke's eyes widened and she bolted out of the room. But Anko was frozen in place at the voice. She had imagined it. It was just her imagination. She took a moment to calm herself with a deep breath, and then she surveyed the room. It was a mess.

Anko smirked. "Still got it. Some _tough _kid he is, that Uchiha Sasuke. He looked like he was about to piss himself."

Just then her chakra ran out. She didn't have much to begin with, and she crumbled to floor as if she'd run a marathon. Her body was not meant to be moving like that just yet.

Suddenly, the memory of her parents' deaths came flooding back to her, and all of the following memories of her and Orochimaru-sama. One image after another bombarded her head. The snakes, devouring the bodies of her parents as a hooded figure walked closer to her. Her being beaten by Orochimar-sama later as she made mistakes in her lessons. And again, with her on the operating table, screaming as he dug into her. And then finally her abandonment as Orochimaru-sama left her with the cursed seal. She wasn't sure what it was; the mental or physical fatigue, but this time the tears came freely as she slumped against the wall with her feet laying in the oatmeal from the tray.

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"Alright, are you ready?" Jiraiya said. They were standing not far from their destination. It was a small building, an inn or a tavern it looked like. There was a sign in the front hanging with a picture of a white tiger.

"The Tiger's Den," Naruto read aloud. "Cheesy name. Do you always go to bars with such cheesy names?"

"Quiet," Jiraiya hushed. "Be serious for once. The bartender in there is an informant of mine. Now, I want you to head in there first, just a little before me. In the back the men are usually playing dice. Sit near them, join the game if you want," as he said this Jiraiya handed Naruto a small pouch with coin. "I need you to listen to the other men in the room and make note of anything they say as I come in. And especially after I go into the other room."

He looked Naruto dead in the eye and waited for the genin to nod, showing he understood. Jiraiya gave a grin. "Good. Now Specifically I want to know if anyone in the bar seems to know what is going on. If people are aware that the bartender is slipping me information then his role is compromised in my network."

"Got it. And are you sure I can't bring any weapons in? I feel weird without them."

"No. Now get in there. Remember, no ninja techniques. The more you look like a civie the better."

Jiraiya gave Naruto a light push and Naruto stumbled into an easy walk towards the building. As he got near, a man stepped outside and lit a cigarette. He leaned against the wall and gave a nod to Naruto as he walked past.

He opened the door, and had to take a moment for his eyes to adjust to the dark room. Immediately the stench of stale tobacco and spilt liquor assaulted his senses. The place was mostly wooden and relatively undecorated. A few movie posters hung on the walls, some silly picture of the lightning kage visiting the place, and something about a poker tournament.

To the right as he walked through the door was the bar. It was relatively empty save for two patrons sitting there chatting with the bartender. To the left in the center of the room the ground was slightly raised, only a step up, and most of the tables sat. Men sat at a few here and there drinking, but towards the back one table in particular had a crowd, and the occasional whoop or cheer would raise as they played dice.

Further past the table with the gambling, on the opposite side of the tavern from the bar, there were booths lining the walls. All of them were empty save one, which had three men seated in it. They seemed relatively quiet, talking only occasionally.

Naruto walked casually over to the bar, only slightly apprehensive at never having ordered anything at a bar before. He had never drank, and Jiraiya really hadn't thought to give any advice on the matter. Not that Naruto had considered even needing it. The bartender nodded towards him.

"What'll it be?"

"Just a beer," Naruto said, acting nonchalant. He looked over at the other two men at the bar.

"Er, which beer?" the bartender asked.

"Huh? Oh, uh, whatever. Something light I guess." Naruto said, crusing himself at his stupidity. _Smooth,_ he thought.

The bartender shrugged and turned to grab a glass and pour the beer, putting it down in front of Naruto. Naruto handed him some money and waited for the change before lifting his glass in cheers to the bartender and walking off towards the dice table.

The men there were all crowded around, throwing money on the table as they placed their bets. Two men took the money in and handed it to the third, who put it in a locked box. He passed out chips to symbolize the money and where the bets were placed.

"Money on six!"

"On five and nine!"

"On eight!"

Naruto watched, fascinated and confused, as he tried to figure out the rules. One man held the dice as they all placed bets on various numbers. After a moment, when the bets seemed placed, the man shook the dice vigorously and let them tumble along the table.

"Seven out," the man who was handling the money in the center called. Various groans rose as the chips were swept up and a new round of betting started. This time the bets were different, men called 'Pass' or 'Fail' and tossed their money down. The dice were rolled.

"Point: Four," the man in the center called. More bets were placed, this time numbers. The man who held the dice gave a smug smile.

"Odds on the Pas bet," he said, placing more money down. Others placed their bets.

"Six and eight!"

"Inside numbers!"

The money changed hands, and the dice were rolled again. An eight landed. Some men whooped as they collected their money. The man kept rolling more and more numbers, everything except the four, and the table got rowdier and rowdier as they won their money. Finally, a seven came up.

"Seven out," most of the table groaned again as they pit boss collected their money. The dice changed hands.

"So a seven makes you lose?" Naruto asked one man to his side.

The older guy glanced to the side, but he concentrated mainly on placing his bet.

"Ah, a newbie, eh? Yes, a seven loses for most people, except for them bastards over there," he said, jerking his head over towards a few men who had bet 'Fail'. "They win their money if a seven comes up before whatever the point is."

"What's the Point?" Naruto asked. Most of the men had placed their bets, and another round was about to roll.

"Watch," the man said. A 5 came up.

"Point, 5" the pit boss announced.

"So the goal see," the man said, using his hands for emphasis, "is to land a 5 before a seven comes up. If that happens, everyone who put money down on pass wins. If the seven comes up first, Fail wins. Until that happens, we all just bet on numbers that might come up in the meantime."

Naruto nodded. "I get it. Can I put money down now?"

"The old man shrugged. "'Spose so. Up to tha boss."

Naruto pulled out some money, and held it out to the pit boss. The old man who was helping him slapped the money out of his hand onto the table. "Just toss it down der," he said gruffly.

The pit boss nodded and handed Naruto chips, which he put down on the 6 and the 8. To his excitement, the next number rolled was an 8.

And so the rounds continued for a while, and despite his streak of good fortune, Naruto was careful to not get too caught up in the gambling and not notice his surroundings. Jiraiya had walked in, and Naruto almost did a double take. He didn't look anything like he usually did. How he had donned such a detailed disguise so quickly was beyond Naruto. The man was a good actor too. He was obviously drunk. Or, pretending to be.

Jiraiya stumbled over to the bar and order a few shots, slamming his money down on the bar. He looked like a miner. He had dirt on his face and workman's clothes on. Several tools of the trade hung on a belt loop.

"Where's the women at?" he slurred.

The bartender leaned over the bar, concern in his eyes. He put the rag he was using to dry glasses down, and scooped up the money as he did so. Naruto glanced around. Most people didn't seem to be paying any attention to Jiraiya and the bartender.

"You must've gotten kicked out of the Whiskey Barrel," the bartender muttered, referring to another tavern not far from this one. "Well, come on, you're not going to get served here, and I'm not going to have you puking on my bar. Up with you." The bartender motioned for Jiraiya to get up, and the older man swatted the bartender's hands away from him.

"Drink," he said, his eyes lidded. "My woman left me. I need a drink. And someone else, just for tonight."

The bartender made a calming gesture with his hands. "Hush, why don't we step in the other room and you can tell me all about it over that drink?"

Jiraiya pretended to perk up at this, and let the older man help him stumble into the back room.

Naruto turned away from the seen, shaking his head to himself. The betting hadn't paused in all that time. Surprisingly Naruto was one of the few who really took notice of Jiraiya's entrance, except for the three men in the booth. All of them were turned towards the back door, leaning in close over the table and talking. One of them shifted in his seat and Naruto caught the distinct glimmer of metal. A blade.

Each of them, in one motion, stood up and began to move towards the back door. One of them moved to the entrance and leaned nonchalantly near the door. He was acting as a guard. Naruto turned back to the table. His bets were still down on the table, but now was when he should be moving. He didn't have many options. If he just left the game suddenly it'd be obvious that he was leaving his money.

Jiraiya hadn't mentioned the possibility of a fight, only that other people might be aware of his network. He had to get word to Jiraiya somehow. He couldn't let Jiraiya walk into an ambush, and this was clearly what it was. And he definitely couldn't let the men get away either Naruto took a sip from his beer, hiding his disgust at the taste. He much preferred the taste of sake. That's when his idea struck him, and he tripped into the man next to him, spilling his beer onto him. He dropped the glass purposely, letting it shatter and spread on the floor. The game halted, and everyone immediately began looking at the floor to see the broken glass.

"What the hell? The man said angrily. "Watch where you're walking, boy!"

Naruto pretended to stutter an apology. "So-Sorry sir. Let me go get some towels to dry that up for you." He went down and scooped up some glass shards as he spoke and pocketed them.

Naruto left the spluttering man quickly and the confusion over the broken glass. He walked over to the bar, keeping an eye on the man near the entrance and the two near the back door. Wait, one near the backdoor. Where had the third gone?

He drop the glass into the trash bin behind the bar and grabbed a rag. While his hands were hidden, he drew on the Kyuubi's chakra in a flash and quickly cast a genjutsu over the men that had been sitting the booth. With that, hopefully they'd lose the ability to sense his and the Kyuubi's chakra. If they sensed anything in that moment, they'd think it had been their imagination. He strained the stretch it and make sure he got the rest of the bar too. For them had made them stuck in a loop, with all of them winning their bets. Huge bets. Nothing was more distracting to men like them than winning money. In a second motion he made a seal for a kage bunshin that appeared behind the bar, and he kawarimied with it.

Naruto now had a view of the back door from behind the bar, and he crawled forward to get closer. The men at the booth hadn't moved. He let out a relieved breath he hadn't realized he was holding. It seemed his little stunt had worked. He looked up at his kage bunshin, now standing where he had been on the other side of the bar. It winked at him and moved to walk back over to the dice table with rag in hand to wipe up the spilled beer and pick up the broken glass.

Naruto dipped his own hand into the trash bin and dug out the glass shards he had dropped in there before, arming himself. Now all he had to do was wait and find out where that third man had went. Had he gone into the back room as well?

He didn't have that luxury however as just then the door opened, and the bartender left. He looked at the man to his right guarding the door and the man near the entrance and nodded to them, ducking out of the way quick. He managed to yell a quick "I'm sorry!" as he did so.

Naruto watched as they both began to draw weapons. Luckily, he had been ready first. He didn't have to look to know that his Kage bunshin had already gathered shards of glass as his own weapon, and Naruto was dimly aware of the man's neck near the door blooming deep crimson as the glass cut down into his jugular. He slumped to the floor.

The man near the door to the back room gave a start as the man near the entrance died, and turned towards the dice table, only for Naruto to stand from behind the bar and pelt him in the back with glass, aimning for the kidneys. The man fell over clutching his back in pain, and Naruto's Kawarimi finished the job.

The sudden shock of seeing someone die, or perhaps the force of the killing intent in the room broke the men at the dice table out of their genjutsu, and they scrambled to flee, some grabbing money as they went. Chips fell to the floor, and the men tumbled over one another in panic.

Naruto's kage bunshin fell and got trampled, dispelling, and Naruto turned to walk towards the bartender, forgetting for a moment that there had been a third man to look out for. Naruto took a sudden blow to the back from the man as he appeared from seemingly nowhere. He was fast. Naruto was out of glass to use, and the man had a small tanto poised to stab him in the chest. Naruto raised his hands, trying to mold his chakra fast enough for a jutsu.

By then, Jiraiya had exited the room in the back. The sudden commotion had put him on guard. He saw the man standing over Naruto, and kawarimied with him. If the man with the tanto was surprised at all, he didn't show it as he struck at Jiraiya, who lazily dodged it and smacked the blade out of the man's hand, and brought his elbow around into the man's temple. He crumpled to the floor unconscious.

Jiraiya surveyed the room, looking for anymore attackers before his eyes settled on the bartender.

"Naruto," he said, still staring at the bartender.

"Yeah?"

"Get all that money off of the table and get outside. Yell if anyone's coming."

Naruto nodded, scooping up the money box and the spare change on the table, and went outside. As soon as he left, the whole building changed shape into a large frog, which henged into a building much as it had just looked. Naruto sat by a tree, watching the entrance, and began to count his earnings.

It wasn't long before Jiraiya left, the frog dispelling, and leaving the regular tavern behind. Jiraiya noded towards the money. "How much?"

"Enough to pay for a B-class mission," Naruto said. "I haven't finished counting all of it."

Jiraiya nodded. "Good enough. That'll be your payment for this mission," he said. Then he rubbed his hands together. "Although we need to make a celebratory stop on the way back to Konoha!"

"What did you do with the bartender?"

The older man waved his hand dismissively. "Just asked some questions. Didn't hurt him. In fact I need you to meet him."

"Meet him? But he just betrayed you!"

"Wasn't quite his choice. In this business it's something you have to get used to. Loyalty goes to the highest bidder, and even if you do have a rare loyal informant, other people are always putting the pressure on to take them away from you. In this case, those men forced him to turn, or so he says."

"And you're going to believe him?" Naruto asked incredulously.

"Don't have much choice. He's too valuable to me at the moment."

Jiraiya waved for Naruto to follow him back inside, where the bartender now sat, a bit more beat up and disheveled than before—it seemed Jiraiya had told a white lie when he said he didn't rough the man up—and he was swirling some liquor around in a glass.

"I swear Jiraiya, I did—"

"Alright, alright, I get it Ced."

The old man—Ced, nodded, and focused on Naruto.

"So who is the brat? Fancy work with some broken glass earlier."

Jiraiya nodded. "Damn resourceful sometimes, this kid is," he said, slapping Naruto on the back. "All you need to know is I'm taking him under my wing. For now you can call him Hoshi."

"Hoshi?" Ced asked. "I thought we were past codenames, Jiraiya."

"After this betrayal?" Jiraiya asked, his eyes narrowing. Ced gave an honest look, and Jiraiya gave in. "Alright, alright. Names Takeru."

Naruto barely managed to keep his face still at the second lie, but he knew to follow Jiraiya's lead here. He'd ask later.

"Interesting," Ced said, eyeing Naruto. "Well, nice to meet you Takeru. If you're Jiraiya's apprentice, than anything you need, you can come to me. I'll show you the ropes."

Naruto nodded, and Jiraiya cleared his throat. "Now, I know you've said they threatened you, so even if you didn't want to go along with them, it still means you're compromised, Ced. We need to relocate you."

Ced nodded. "I understand. I'll be packing up soon after I torch this place. Where do you need me?"

Jiraiya thought for a moment. "Intelligence is a bit weak from Kusa. I need you to go there and set up shop. Doesn't matter what it is. Send a letter to the Safehouse with your new codename and password when you're settled."

Ced nodded, and then turned and grabbed a folder for Jiraiya. "Well, here is the folder with the information about Iwa. Everything I've got for now."

"Good. I'll keep in touch, Ced." With that, Jiraiya turned and left with Naruto in tow.

Naruto looked up at Jiraiya after they had been walking for a while. "Takeru?" he asked. The whole question didn't need to be voiced.

"I don't trust him, obviously. If word of a Takeru comes out at all, or even an apprentice from Jiraiya, then Ced is definitely not loyal. Last thing I needed though were rumors of Jiraiya with a Uzumaki Naruto, the Kyuubi's jinchuriki. You've got enough people after you as it is."

They both walked for a while, and Jiraiya flipped through the folder. "So how about it?" he asked, his eyes still scanning the intelligence folder.

"How about what?"

"Interested in helping with my eyes and ears network?"

Naruto nodded.

"Glad to hear it. Because if we have my way, you'll be leaving Konoha in about a month for three years as we train. You'll be my apprentice, learn everything I know, both about being a ninja and about being a spy."

**End of CHAPTER 25**

Thought today was the fourth not the fifth!


	26. Lies and Deceit

Disclaimer– "The act of writing is an act of optimism. You would not take the trouble to do it if you felt it didn't matter. – Edward Albee.

The Maelstrom of Konoha**-1.26**

**The Tale of a Young Boy's Ascent into the Legends**

_God I took a long time rewriting bits of this. It only focuses on two characters, but I think it's an important chapter. I hope you all enjoy it. I'm going to try and get the next one out sooner but we'll see. These chapters are difficult because I'm trying to make all of the characters come together at the right time to wrap things up. – C._

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Kiba fell to the ground and stared up the length of the sword pointed at his neck. Sakura stood over him, sword in hand, smirking triumphantly. Kiba hurt all over. His arms and back throbbed with pain where Sakura's practice sword had hit him. They'd definitely be welts tomorrow.

Sakura took her sword away from his neck and he stood up slowly. This was Sakura? The pink haired girl who couldn't beat a child with her taijutsu? The girl who fawned over Sasuke? No, this was a different animal altogether. This Sakura was strong, and fearless. She barely even blinked when he had gone at her with a Gatsuga.

"If this had been real fight," Gekko said with his arms folded," then you'd be missing several limbs and probably dead, Kiba."

Kiba growled. "Obviously," he said. "She hit me with that sword like 8 times! And it hurts, by the way," he added to the pink haired girl.

Gekko nodded. "Exactly. You definitely need to work on evading blows. The strength of your blows is nothing to laugh at, but if you continue to take hits as you try to land a blow you'll only end up with pyrrhic victories."

Kiba grimaced. He had thought, no, known, he was making progress with his fighting ever since Gai had taken him under his wing, but the fact that Sakura had come so far so fast under Hayate made his progress seem like nothing. It was disheartening.

"Sakura," Gekko turned towards the girl as he spoke. "You've been doing very well. You and Tenten both. If you each continue like this I have no doubt you'll be the best sword wielders in Konoha of your generation. Now, Tenten, I want you to listen closely as well…

Kiba stopped listening and turned around to see that team 8 had joined their training again. Hinata was currently sparring with Neji under Gai's watchful eyes while Kurenai watched over them. Shino had already left for some mission with his father, but both Hinata and Kurenai had greeted him warmly since yesterday. Maybe it was because they had all gone out to lunch together. It seems they forgave him for being an idiot before. Except he couldn't feel worse about it. He felt so guilty.

Yesterday when they had all gone out to lunch, he had done it. He did the deed. He poisoned Shino's lunch yesterday while he smiled through his teeth. His mother was happy when he had told her of course, but Kiba was the one who had to deal with a dirty conscience. This wasn't some fight over a girl any longer. Now it was war between two clans, and he was playing a pivotal role. And now that team 8 had forgiven him and were being friendly, it only made it worse for him. He had betrayed their trust.

He had done it when they had gotten their first orders. Kiba hadn't been sure how he was going to go about it; he wasn't really the stealth type, despite being a shinobi. He had spent so long debating on how he was going to do it, and then it ended up being almost laughably easy.

Lunch had given him the golden opportunity. When the old chef had put their meals down in front of her, he handed it down to each person, and as he did so he took the small vial out that his mother had given him, and carefully poured it into Shino's meal.

Nobody had noticed, and Kiba still wasn't sure if it had even worked. That didn't matter though. He did his job for the clan, and now he was done. He'd call it quits and just say no next time his mother wanted him to do something against the Aburame. Clan or no clan, he was a Konoha shinobi, damn it.

On the training grounds, Hinata glanced at him and gave him a small smile as she went through her forms. Kiba gave a smile back, but quickly glanced at her father, Hiashi, to make sure he wasn't disapproving. He was surprised to see the man giving a smile, even if it was a little thin lipped.

That had thrown him off at first. He knew that Hiashi was supposed to observe him, but he was still unnerved when the man showed up to their team training and sat down on a nearby bench, simply to watch. It made Kiba feel like everything he was doing was being scrutinized. Perhaps it was.

Hiashi had kept his distance for the most part, although today when Hiashi had shown up he had given Kiba a small nod, perhaps as a hello, or maybe as some form of acknowledgement. Kiba wasn't sure. The fact that he didn't seem to mind him trying to be friendly with his daughter was also extremely off-putting. Shouldn't Hiashi be stern and telling him to stay away from his daughter?

Just as he was thinking this, the man beckoned Kiba over with a small wave. Kiba pointed at himself stupidly until Hiashi nodded, and then he got up and walked over, putting on his best smile.

"Yo," he said with a wave.

Hiashi's eyebrow shot up and he said calmly, "Hello Kiba."

Kiba cursed inwardly at his own choice of slang. _Stupid. Should have said hello. _He thought carefully about his next words. Asking, "What do you want?" Would probably be fine among Inuzuka, but would come off entirely too crass to a Hyuuga. So Kiba tried to settle on something a little bit in between. Not too informal, and not so uptight that it made him seem fake.

"You wanted to speak with me?" he asked, then added, "Sir?"

Hiashi nodded as he watched his daughter and Neji practice. "Indeed, Kiba."

Kiba stood at attention for a moment, waiting for Hiashi to continue, but the man simply stared at his daughter and Neji, sitting still as stone. Kiba shuffled on his feet, wondering what the man was doing. Did he expect Kiba to say something? Kiba wracked his brains trying to think if there was anything his mother had told him specifically to say to Hiashi. He couldn't think of anything though, so he turned back to look at what Hiashi was looking at—Hinata and Neji. Maybe he was supposed to notice something?

After a moment, Kiba turned around to the older man. "So, uh, what did you wan—"

"Those tribal tattoos you have on your face," Hiashi cut in suddenly. He still didn't bother turning to look at Kiba, who had brought his hands up to his face to trace the outlines of the fang-like tattoos on either cheekbone. "Yes, those," Hiashi said. Kiba gave a started, not noticing Hiashi was looking at him.

_How? _Kiba grimaced. _Byakuugan. Of course. _

"Correct me if I'm mistake, but do those not symbolize your membership and loyalty to the Inuzuka clan? It would be shaming for an Inuzuka to have the tattoos removed, am I correct? It symbolizes that one has betrayed his clan?"

Kiba frowned, wondering where this was going, and then nodded. "Yes, if we lose the tattoos, our companions also leave us as we have abandoned the pack, er, um, clan, that is."

"I see. Many do not realize that the Inuzuka markings are not inborn, but are in fact given to a clan member when they have accomplished their first clan mission. I however, am fully aware of this," Hiashi said.

Kiba nodded, showing he understood. Why was Hiashi talking about this, and why did Hiashi know that it had to do with a clan member's first clan mission? A mission given to a member by the clan head and not the Hokage? Did the Hyuuga have a similar tradition?

As if to answer his questions, Hiashi turned to look at Kiba fully then and leaned forward. "I merely bring this up, Inuzuka Kiba, to stress that the Inuzuka clan is the only one to stress the loyalty to the clan so deeply, even more than the Hyuuga. It would be a shame, then, if you failed to do everything in your power to redeem yourself in the Inuzuka clan.

Kiba gulped and couldn't help but shift his weight nervously. Did Hiashi know about him poisoning Shino? No, he couldn't. That would be impossible. He was just talking about Kiba's position as losing his position as the clan heir, surely.

Kiba was about to ask if that was what Hiashi was getting at, but was cut off again suddenly by the older man.

"I understand that originally you fought with the Aburame boy over my daughter. Is that true?"

Hiashi was definitely putting the pressure on Kiba. He was sure of it. Kiba would have given anything to be anywhere but in front of Hyuuga Hiashi at that moment, but after a moment he steeled his nerves, stood firm and nodded. 

"Yes, Hyuuga-san. I did. In fact it is something I am deeply regretful for. I treated Hinata unfairly and didn't show her the respect she deserves. I have apologized to her, and I would like to humbly apologize to you—"

"Actually, as I understand it you quite impressed Hinata." Hiashi cut in. Did the man ever wait for someone to respond fully?

Kiba blinked. "What?"

"Do not say what as if you didn't hear me, Kiba. I do not like to repeat myself."

Kiba gaped, "no, what I mean is how did I impress her?"

Hiashi looked back at Hinata finally, and Kiba was silently thankful that the man's stern gaze wasn't so focused on him anymore. "Hinata has always been shy. It is what makes her weak. She does not take what she wants, and has never been certain how to do so. That may be slowly improving, but that is thanks to people like you who show her the way. Your determination is inspirational to her, not to mention the fact that you fought for her is very flattering. It showed you care about her."

Kiba took this all in with wide eyes. Why was Hiashi telling him this? Shouldn't this man be chasing him away from Hinata with a huge stick, or worse, his jyuuken?

"I cannot say much for what she thinks of the Aburame boy however," Hiashi said thoughtfully. "She mentions you from time to time by name, but never the Aburame boy. In fact, I am not sure she truly enjoys his company as anything more than someone she has to deal with as a teammate."

Suddenly Hiashi stood up, and Kiba turned to see that the rest of the teams had all finished their practice. Everyone was gathering their gear and smiling as they got ready to head home, or go grab something to eat.

Gai enthusiastically invited everyone to continue training with him and Lee, but nobody seemed interested. Kiba smiled at his new teacher's antics. If he weren't already so exhausted and bruised from sparring Sakura and Tenten, he might have taken up that offer.

Asuma's team had already left, they were all eager to leave it seemed, and were heading to the barbecue grill restaurant nearby. Apparently Choji had won some bet, and Asuma was looking pretty sad about it as he eyed his wallet.

Hinata and Neji began to walk over to Hiashi and him, and the older man glanced down at Kiba.

"I wanted to congratulate you on your very recent success, Kiba, but I am sure you will be asked to do more shortly." The man gave a hint of a smile and strode off to meet his daughter and nephew.

Kiba sat there for a long time, his mouth agape, as he faced the truth. Hiashi knew. The head of the Hyuuga clan knew exactly what Kiba had done to Shino, there could be no doubt. Was he in on this with his mother? Or did he find out some other way, in which case what did that mean for him? For his clan?

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

"So where are we headed to now?" Naruto had been a source of constant questions throughout the trip. Jiraiya usually didn't mind questions, but this kid's were constant! Always about where they were going, what was he doing, and could he train him. And if Jiraiya did train him, the kid always absorbed the lesson way too quickly for comfort. Jiraiya just wanted some peace and quiet.

Although somehow, ever since Jiraiya had taken him on this mission, Jiraiya couldn't imagine things without the kid. Having him around made him feel useful again. Needed. Intelligent. Jiraiya had always been well suited for training others. Hell, look at his previous student, the fourth Hokage! And now his student's son, Jiraiya's own godson, Uzumaki Naruto, was proving to be every bit as apt as the Yondaime had been.

No, Jiraiya was quickly becoming attached to his godson turned student. They didn't always see eye to eye, but slowly they seemed to be reaching some sort of mutual understanding. At the moment, they were heading down the trail towards another one of Jiraiya's contacts, who happened to be an owner of a brothel. Beside him, Naruto was walking with a frown on his face as he tried to puzzle out the jutsu Jiraiya had shown him.

"Can you do it again? I need to see you do it."

Jiraiya sighed. "Watching me do it over and over won't make you learn it. You have to practice it and discover how it works yourself, or you'll never master the technique."

"Just one more time, Jiraiya-sensei," Naruto asked earnestly.

Jiraiya sighed, but did the technique anyway. He wasn't sure what Naruto couldn't possibly figure out from watching the technique, he wasn't an Uchiha.

"Okay, but again I'm only going to do a small one, otherwise it'll just draw attention. Doton: Yomi Numa!"

Jiraiya put his hands down on the ground as he did so and drove the chakra through his arms into the earth, and suddenly in front of him where he'd focused the chakra the earth quickly became a swamp, as deep as it was wide.

"So cool!" Naruto said as he admired the small swamp. It was only a few yards wide, but it wasn't hard to make a larger swamp once the technique was mastered, and it could easily stop an enemy in their tracks.

Jiraiya nodded and gave a wide smile at the praise. "Well there you have it, now it's up to you to figure it out. I've given you the seals and the basic lesson on it. You take it from here."

"I've never really understood techniques unless I get to see them a few times," Naruto commented as he examined the swamp. "All that book stuff and lectures never really sink in."

Jiraiya was about to argue that the lectures and 'book stuff' were important, but froze, remembering his own youth. He hadn't always been so rigorous with his own training. The academy hadn't helped him much. It had been Sarutobi –sensei and his hands on teaching which had ultimately turned Jiraiya into who he was.

Jiraiya turned his mind onto their destination; a brothel and stripclub. Jiraiya did have a reputation for going into such places, and not without reason, he did enjoy it, but this truly was one for his spynetwork, as many others were. Brothels were a great place for the exchange of information. Men drunk on sex were always quick to give up information at the bedside.

Still, Jiraiya wasn't sure how to tell the boy, who was far too prude for a healthy teen, and would probably be outraged. Naruto would probably think Jiraiya was just 'celebrating' and being a filthy old man.

Jiraiya glanced up at the sun. It was getting late; the sun was starting to fall. They had been heading to their destination almost the entire day, sometimes running, and other times, like now, taking their time to walk and enjoy the scenery. In his many years, it was one thing Jiraiya had learned should be appreciated on missions. Regardless, they would be at the brothel soon. Within the hour easily, if not sooner.

Naruto suddenly knelt down to the ground. Jiraiya could feel him molding his chakra, and the kid had a determined look to his face as he planted his hands on the ground.

"Doton: Yomi Numa!"

Jiraiya felt a slight bubbling from the ground and he quickly moved away as the earth he'd been standing on suddenly changed into a dark murky color. It had changed form, but it wasn't the swampy mud that was supposed to appear.

Jiraiya knelt down and prodded it with his finger to see if it had the desired effect of pulling someone in and trapping them. It was soft, but not mud. A little too hard, more like clay.

Naruto groaned as Jiraiya shook his head. "You're getting better, keep at it. It's a hell of a lot better than yesterday. And don't test the technique on me again."

Naruto laughed and tried to play it off, but Jiraiya didn't doubt that he was taking him seriously. Naruto sat down and looked at the clay he'd made, clearly disappointed that he still hadn't figured it out. He'd been working on it for only a short time, but Naruto refused to give up.

Jiraiya walked up and looked at the clay a little bit closer. "You need to fuse your chakra into the earth a little more, and add some water into it. Right now it's too dry, so you end up with this, which is wet, but not enough. Naruto nodded slowly, and Jiraiya held up his hand before the boy could try again.

"Before you go on, have you made any progress with the other jutsu?"

Naruto nodded and gave a smile. "Hell yeah! I've got this by the end of the night, easily, check it out!"

Naruto flashed through some hand signs and molded his chakra to quickly form a kagebunshin and then perform a second jutsu, "Kageayatsuri no Jutsu!"

The clone stood still for a moment, before looking at Jiraiya and said, "See?"

Jiraiya ignored the clone and stared hard at the clone's shadow, where another Naruto suddenly emerged, as if the shadow were peeling itself off of the ground. Jiraiya inspected the shadow closely and grunted.

"Almost, the shadow still has color to it; if I look at it directly I can tell it's you and not a shadow. But almost."

Naruto let go of the technique and nodded. "I've got it well enough for now though."

"No, you _don't_ have it well enough for now, Naruto," Jiraiya stressed, perhaps a little too much than he meant. "You have to promise you won't try techniques that you haven't mastered on missions. It could be dangerous not only for you but your comrades as well."

Naruto looked a bit put off by Jiraiya's tone, but Jiraiya knew he couldn't show any weakness on this issue. He had to make sure Naruto understood. After a moment, Naruto nodded in agreement.

It wasn't long before they found themselves in front of the brothel .Naruto stared up at the building and then back at Jiraiya accusingly. "_This_ is where we're headed? I thought by celebration you meant dinner or something, maybe some drinks, but instead you take us—"

"This is another contact of mine," Jiraiya cut in. "And perhaps we can celebrate too if we feel like it," he added. Naruto was about to argue against it and Jiraiya held up his hands, "look, they've got more than just the women in there, you can drink, gamble, there's a separate room for food, relax. "

Naruto folded his arms and grumbled. "Yeah but this seems like much more of a celebration for you than something I'd enjoy. Who's this contact and why are they in a brothel?"

"There's many a slip 'tween the cup and the lip." Jiraiya said knowingly. "The only time men let more secrets out than when they're drinking is when they're in bed with a woman. A brothel is one of the best places you could possibly go for information."Jiraiya opened the door. He paused for a moment to look over the boys disguise before nodding. "Keep the eyes red, that's it. Come on, I'll introduce you to our contact."

Naruto stepped into the brothel, not really knowing what to expect. The room was red. Very red. The walls were all painted a dark burgundy, and had black trim. Girls walked around in scantily clad outfits as they went from patron to patron, leaning over them seductively and chatting with them.

Sometimes drinks were ordered, sometimes the men simply wanted company. Other times the girls would grab the man's hand and lead him beyond red curtains to private rooms for a dance or perhaps more.

Naruto was surprised to see several women patrons as well, and men, shirtless and well-muscled, serving them drinks and talking to them, performing the same duties, apparently, as their scantily clad female counterparts.

In the center of one room was a raised stage, where two women were dancing as they slowly removed their clothes. Naruto's eyes lingered on their striptease for a while before he was suddenly accosted by a girl. She grabbed his arm and pressed her body against his, and he couldn't help but be extremely aware of the soft touch of her breasts. To Naruto's side, a girl had walked up to Jiraiya and grabbed his arm as well.

"Anything we can help you boys with?" the girl on Naruto's asked as she put her hand on his chest appreciatively and eyed him through lidded eyes seductively. "We can help you with _anything _you want."

Naruto, his mind reeling at the sudden advance from the girls, took a moment to respond. "Um, uh,-"

"No." Jiraiya cut him, his voice firm. Naruto blinked in surprise. He had expected Jiraiya to quickly wander off with the girl and do who knows what with the girl. "I'm here to speak with Madame Ayumi, girls. I have some girls she might be interested in taking in."

The girls' expressions changed immediately to normal straight faces, and one of them answered in a very businesslike tone. "Oh, well you must be one of the proprietors; we'll get her for you."

They both turned and walked off, leaving Jiraiya and Naruto standing near the entrance. Jiraiya caught Naruto looking at him incredulously and guessed correctly at the boy's surprise.

"Thought I'd go with em, eh? You really should start to see underneath the underneath, as your former teacher used to say."

Jiraiya led them to a nearby seat as they waited. Naruto turned back towards the front door and noticed that a lot of girls were lingering in that area so that they could swoop in on the patrons who entered. Often times they only needed to talk with the man for just moments before leading him off to another room in the building.

Naruto frowned. The girls were beautiful, and surely could do anything they wanted. What made them do this for money?

"I don't get it," he said to Jiraiya. "Why are these girls doing this? Couldn't they do something else?"

Jiraiya folded his arms and sat back. "You're assuming that they _want_ to do something else. For some, this is an acceptable life, others feel empowered by it. Still, I suppose some others don't really have a choice."

"What do you mean? Of course they have a choice."

Jiraiya leaned in close to Naruto. "In many brothels the girls are actually from the slave trade, Naruto. They are bought and put into this position."

Naruto nearly stood up in shock, "What? Why aren't we doing something! Jiraiya-sensei!"

Jiraiya grabbed his arm and held him down in his seat. Thankfully nobody seemed to notice the boy's sudden alarm. "Shut up, kid, that's not import—"

"It _is_ important, sensei!" Naruto protested.

"Naruto! Be. Quiet." Jiraiya growled. "This brothel buys the girls from the trade," he tightened his grip on Naruto's arm as he spoke to make sure the boy stayed in his seat. "It buys them, and frees them. Many girls have no place to go however. Most people in the slave trade are prisoners or orphans that are picked up by the slavers. You may not understand it now, but those people, after the captivation and the abuse…" Jiraiya's eyes tightened as he seemed to be imagining the horrors he was speaking of. "They are broken. They don't have, or want, to seek out a new place, and our contact, she takes care of them."

He let go of Naruto's arm, and Naruto rubbed it briefly to get some feeling back into it. "You might not understand right now, but this brothel, it's one of the good ones, and Ayumi takes care of the girls better than anyone else. They aren't forced to do anything they don't want to."

Naruto nodded, and just then woman wearing a fine slim black dress walked up. Jiraiya turned to her and muttered, "Speak of the devil…" The woman was older, Naruto knew, but she looked years younger under a layer of makeup and the fine clothing and jewelry she wore. While the working girls in the brothel were all scantily clad and oozed raw sexuality, this older woman held herself as someone who was in charge, but possessed a classy seductiveness.

"Ah, Mr. Kojima," she said with a warm smile. "It has been far too long, how are you?"

Jiraiya smiled and took the woman's hand, kissing it quickly. "Madame Ayumi, you are as beautiful as ever. I am well."

The woman glanced over at Naruto, and Jiraiya was quick to answer the unasked question. "And this young man is my nephew, Takeru. I'm grooming him to hopefully take over the business one day, since I have no son of my own to pass it on to."

Ayumi nodded. "Very well, it is a pleasure to meet you, Takeru. Now, if you both will please follow me to one of the private rooms, we can discuss business."

Jiraiya motioned with his hands. "Please, lead the way."

The three of them walked through several rooms, and Naruto couldn't help but stare at all of the girls as they passed. To their right as they walked down the hall he peeked past the thin red curtains to make out the shadowing outline of a girl straddling a man's lap, dancing to the music. The next room was a small gambling den, with several tables and men crowded around it, shoving money into piles and cheering when they won and groaning when they lost. In another room men sat around a raised stage with a pole on it, tossing money up to the girls on the stage. When Naruto turned to look at Jiraiya walking beside him, he was surprised to see Jiraiya hardly even paying any attention to the girls.

The older man noticed his look and gave a smirk. "I might not really be the lecherous one here, you know. Sure, I love women, but I can focus when I need to. Seems you're struggling with that."

Naruto looked down at the ground, embarrassed, and even then as a girl serving drinks walked by he couldn't help but notice her long shapely legs, toned from the dancing, with silky smooth looking skin. His eyes longingly followed her calves up to her thighs to the hem of her very small skirt, which hid just enough to be tantalizingly short, but long enough to hide everything**. **Naruto yanked his eyes away and kept them fixed on the ground, and he heard the girl's light laughter dance in the air behind him.Jiraiya was right, he was having far more difficulty focusing on the task at hand and not the girls. .

Eventually they found themselves in a small room, much like an office. Its dark brown walls and wooden desk were a huge change, from the other rooms in the brothel, with their sheer red curtains masking the silhouettes of girls dancing, flashing easy smiles and the promise of sex.

"Well now, Mr. Kojima, what has brought you here to my fine establishment?" Ayumi asked just as the door closed with a click.

"I want to hear everything you've got recently on the trade. Movements, sales, the works. And anything you have on those missing-nin." Jiraiya said, taking a seat.

Ayumi raised an eyebrow. "Akatsuki?"

Jiyaiya nodded.

"Very well," Ayumi held out her hand expectantly and Naruto watched as Jiraiya fished for a small bit of money and handed it over. Ayumi smiled as it fell into her hands and she put it down on the desk.

"You are most generous, Mr. Kojima," she said. She glanced at Naruto expectantly.

"You don't expect me to pay too?" Naruto asked.

"You can't expect me to give information to two spies for the price of one," Ayumi responded smoothly. "How do I know you aren't both reporting to different masters?"

"I told you he is with me, Madame." Jiraiya growled. "And if you can't take my word for it after all of these years, you'll give me my money back now before something ugly happens."

Ayumi stalled for a moment, her hand hovering over the money as she weighed her options. Naruto had to wonder at that moment if she knew exactly who Mr. Kojima really was, and that the threat of a fight wasn't exactly in her favor. Still, her hand hovered for far longer than Naruto expected. Was she going to call it as a bluff? She'd be in for a terrible surprise.

Finally, she smiled, and her hand fell back to her side. "Of course, Mr. Kojima. You have, after all, been a longtime patron of mine. Your payment is more than enough to cover Takeru as well." She went and opened a drew in the desk, taking out a key and then leaving the room. "Please make yourselves comfortable while I get the information for you, I'll be right back."

She closed the door behind her and Jiraiya sighed, slouching in his seat. He quickly unrolled a scroll and unsummoned his writing materials. "Got to make this quick," he said, climbing under the desk with a small brush and ink. Naruto walked around to watch Jiraiya as he quickly scrawled two seals on the underside of the desk.

"what're those?" he asked. Jiraiya shushed him with his free hand. "Quiet. I'll tell you later, for now, walk outside and go to the bathroom really quick or something. Make a kage bunshin and walk back in here. Leave the kage bunshin to watch the door.

"What? Why?" Naruto asked, confused.

"Just do it!" Jiraiya snapped.

Naruto hurried to comply, leaving the room and nodding to the two men who had appeared on either side of the office door, like guards. The bathroom was nearby, so he quickly entered a stall and made a kage bunshin and then left to return to the office. He nodded to the guards on his way back in.

"Okay, done," he said. "I henged the bunshin too.

Jiraiya frowned. "Not sure that's a good idea, if there are other ninja's in here they could spot a henge pretty easily.

"I'd think there are a lot of reasons to expect a henge in this sort of establishment though," Naruto said.

Jiraiya chuckled. "Ah, I suppose you're right at that. Well, either way it's done now. "Almost done…"

Just then Naruto got a memory from the kage bunshin and his eyes snapped wide. "She's at the door," he hissed.

"What? Shit!" Jiraiya hurried to finish the seals. "Just stall her for a moment.

"How?"

"Just go out there and do something stupid! Be yourself!"

Naruto didn't even have time to retort, he just spun around and opened the door, stepping outside quickly." Madame Ayumi was right there, her hand outstretched towards the doorknob, and Naruto did the only thing he could at that moment and just walked into her, bowling her over.

He tumbled to the ground on top of her and quickly entangled himself with Madame Ayumi to keep her from just shoving him off and getting back up. The two of them struggled for a moment, she was trying to shove him off and get back up, and Naruto was struggling to keep himself attached and hold her to the ground while trying to make it look like he was trying to get up too. When she planted one hand on the ground to try and push up, he planted his right behind hers and tried to push as well. In the same motion he knocked her hand out of the way and off the ground, making both of them collapse back to the floor.

Then two hands had grabbed Naruto's shoulder and hoisted him up off of Madame Ayumi, while a third guy held out his hand to her and helped her up. She took a moment to brush herself off as the two men held Naruto firmly.

"Well, that was, an experience," She muttered. She looked up at Naruto.

"Sorry," Naruto said, "I didn't mean to, didn't even see you until it was too late.

"Yes, I could see that." Ayumi said. She looked over Naruto, studying him, and Naruto tried his best not to squirm under her scrutinizing gaze. "Where were you headed, anyway?" she asked, folding her arms.

Naruto paused. He couldn't say the bathroom, as the two men holding him already knew he had went earlier. "Ah, he said I could…"

"Mr. Kojima?" Madame Ayumi asked.

"Yeah,"

"Said you could what?"

She was waiting for an answer, and Naruto was not really having any good ideas. Suddenly, over Ayumi's shoulder, one of the girls caught his eye and winked. "I um…. Wanted to see the girls." He finished in a rush.

Ayumi's face broke into a huge smile. "Ah, well then," she laughed. "Please, go right ahead, enjoy yourself." She nodded to the two men, who let Naruto go, and she strode past him and into the office. Naruto glanced over his shoulder to see as the door opened that Jiraiya had retaken his seat.

One of the girls walking by was carrying a tray with drinks, and Naruto grabbed one. He needed the alcohol to calm his nerves. He didn't want to do this. He downed the drink fast, and sighed. The drink was pretty good. He turned around and grabbed another off the tray. Naruto expected the girl to give him an odd look at drinking so fast, but the girl only smiled at him and kept walking by.

Naruto turned back and walked over to the girl that had winked at him. He might as well go through with his plan now and get a dance. He doesn't really want this anyway. He's just keeping his cover. That's all. The girl took his hand and smiled as she led him to one of the rooms and sat him on a chair. The music seemed louder in here, drowning out all the other noises. In front of him, alone, he took in the entire sight of the girl. She was beautiful. She danced and locked eyes with him, drawing her hands over her own body slowly, sensuously. She dipped down and crawled over to him, climbing up his legs and leaning in to his chest. He could feel her body up against him, her perfumed lingering in the air, clouding his senses. Her hot breath caressed his neck. His body responded, unwillingly. He didn't want this though. He was only doing this to keep with his lie to Madame Ayumi. And at the same time, he couldn't help but wonder; was this girl really doing this dance out of choice either?

"::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::"

**So, next chapter: SHINO! ANKO! SASUKE! ITACHI AND KISAME? And what was Jiraiya doing with those seals? Uh, yeah. Hope that's exciting? Dunno. **


End file.
